Matt Cryer lost out by a single shot to 17-year-old Norwegian Marius Thorp for the 2005 European Amateur Championships in Belgium.
Cryer was pleased with his play but pained at losing out on an automatic place in the 2006 British Open.
"That was really good and I am fine with that sort of situation. I actually loved it being watched by loads of people and wasn't phased at all," said the Coventry golfer.
"The thought of that place at the Open though - give me a couple of days and I will forget about it."
Cryer had to return to complete his third round of 68 at Rinkven Golf Club near Antwerp after bad weather forced an ovenight stoppage which had left him on the 17th hole. After a disappointing firstround 74 - "I just hacked it," he said - he hit 17 greens in regulation in both his second round 66 and Friday's 68 and was almost as accurate in his last round of 73.
"I could not have hit it better virtually all week," he said. "The putting was a bit dodgy.
"People were saying to me about my scores recently [two 75s in the British Mid-Amateur and losing out in round one of the Matchplay for that championships] and I was trying everything I could to work out what I thought was a swing fault. I was hitting a dipping duck slice.
"I then find out that the face of my driver has been cracked for the past few weeks - a new driver and I am off!'
Cryer used some prodigious hitting to try to take the title by reducing the very long par-four 18th hole to a drive and a wedge in search of the birdie that would have put him in the play-off.
Having made a four at the par-five 14th, Cryer missed from less than 15 feet at each of the next three holes before leaving his 25-foot attempt at the last in the jaws of the hole.
Had he held on to win, Cryer would have joined ex-Warwickshire junior Carl Pettersson as a European Champion. His next goals are the Home Internationals and then the opener of the Australian Amateur Golf season in mid-October, part of his EGU Elite Squad commitments.
