The duo took part in an epic duel on the final day at Frilford Heath Golf Club, as Freiburghaus overturned a two-stroke deficit with a sublime six under par 66 to tie on 22 under par after 72 holes, before triumphing in the play-off to move to the top of the Rankings ahead of the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment all year and to have it happen on the very last tournament is pretty special,” he said.

“It’s very big. Getting a win was the main goal this year, came up short twice, but I think that really helped me to stay patient and humble for the win and here we are.

“My goal was to finish up there and I didn’t think about finishing first but I’m really happy.”

Freiburghaus, from Switzerland, dropped only one shot in his final round – at the par three ninth – and credited an improvement in his putting for reaching the summit, before sticking to his strategy in the play-off.

“I putted really well today,” he said. “I’ve been struggling a bit the past few days and I didn’t make many mistakes off the tee, that really helps makes the game much more relaxed. Coming in clutch on the back nine was awesome.

“I could’ve been a little bit more aggressive but I hit the three wood before and I thought if I catch it really well, I might be able to get on. I wanted to take the out of bounds out of play so I think, strategy-wise, it worked out well in the end.

“I wasn’t really nervous because in a play-off, you’ve just got to win. Worst case you’re going to finish second, so you’ve got to go all-in.”