West Berkshire's Paul Simpson has given himself another crack at landing Europe's biggest pro-am title - just six months after finishing second.
Simpson is back in the hunt for the PGA National Pro-Am Championship crown after 'dovetailing perfectly' with amateur Andy Stephenson over Oxfordshire's testing Frilford Heath track.
The duo posted an impressive eight-under-par 65 to beat more than 60 teams to the prize of an all-expenses paid trip to the 36-hole grand final at Turkey's Sirene Beach & Hotel Resort and Antalya Golf Club at the end of the year.
Simpson becomes the third pro from last year's 16 finalists to book a return to the grand final, the other being Worthing's Stephen Rolley, who also tied for second, and Longcliffe's David Mee, who finished in a share of sixth.
After securing an instant return, Simpson, who will compete for a share of the £30,000 professional prize fund, played down his own performance instead heaping praise on his 14 handicap partner.
But Simpson weighed in with two crucial birdies at the final two holes to win by one shot from Stockwood Park pro Jon Sutherland and his partner Guy Norfolk.
"It's a great result and that's down to my partner who played really well, while I must admit I didn't play very well at all," said Simpson, who predicted before the regional final that he had a partner that gave him a chance.
"I birdied the last couple of holes to get us in but Andy was steady all the way round and in truth we dovetailed perfectly.
"I thought eight under would be enough and with three holes to play I knew we needed to do something and get a couple of more birdies and fortunately we managed to get them.
"It's great to be going back as I know the course. It gives you something to play for at the end of the year."
Stephenson, a 52-year semi-retired accountant, who made a serious contribution with four birdies in their round that saw just them drop just one shot at the 15th, returned the compliment to Simpson.
"I think Paul's underestimating how he played out there," said Stephenson, who was playing his fifth round of golf in six days.
"He put a good round together and came good when it really mattered with back-to-back birdies."
But Stephenson admitted that going into the regional final there was an element of pressure after Simpson's performance with Mark Kendal in the 2007 grand final, which saw them come within one putt of forcing a play-off.
"It was a bit of a challenge because we knew at the club that they'd been out there and going out to try and repeat wasn't going to be easy," said Stephenson.
"I went to enjoy the day on a good golf course but we kept plugging away and the pro came good at the end with two birdies and did the job when I had a rest.
"But I'm stunned because I've suddenly become a golfer. I've been trying for about 30 years and never reached any final until now."
The winning pair will compete against 15 other regional finalists during the expenses paid five-day, five-star trip to the Sirene Beach & Hotel Resort on Turkey's Mediterranean Coast from November 30 to December 4.
The tournament, which attracts more than 100,000 entries, is now in its 24th staging and has been held in Portugal, Spain, Grand Bahamas and Sardinia prior to Turkey last year.