NOW Cleethorpes professional golfer Holly Clyburn has her Ladies European Tour card, she never wants to let it slip from her grasp.
The gruelling nine-round marathon the golfer had to battle through in Morocco to qualify is not an experience she wants to repeat.
But despite that, she will remember her finale in Marrakech with great satisfaction – it was one of the best rounds of her career given its importance and the high-pressure context.
After three consistent rounds of 70, a three-over-par 75 had seen the Curtis Cup winner drift away from the top-30 finish she needed to accomplish for her Tour dream to become a reality.
Clyburn, 21, teed off her final round on the 10th – the hole she had triple-bogeyed the previous day, when she was feeling ill.
But the recharged former English amateur champion conquered her demons at the 10th, before a stunning blitz of four birdies in five holes steered her to a four-under-par 68 – her best round of the five in Final Qualification – as she fought back to finish joint-25th.
"I'm very excited to be on the Tour next year," said Clyburn. "I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead and the whole experience of being employed, earning money, and playing all over Europe.
"My aim is simply to play well enough to retain my card for the following year.
"I am pleased the Qualification School is over – and I don't want to go again!
"When I finished, the bogey on the last hole didn't worry me too much as I was in a good position.
"I handed my card in and went to the bar for a drink so I could relax.
"But I kept my eye on the big scoreboard outside the bar!"
Clyburn had plenty of inspiring memories from a sensational 2012 to draw from as she geared up for her final-round push.
In June, she won her singles match to help spark a last-day fight-back in the Curtis Cup – the biggest prize in women's amateur golf – as Great Britain & Ireland fought back to beat America for the first time in eight attempts.
That victory qualified Clyburn for the British Open, in September. Competing as an amateur at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, she finished joint 26th – the highest-placed English player.
And last month, on her second outing after turning professional, she held her nerve in a sudden-death play-off to win the Banesto Tour Valencia, a Ladies European Tour Access Series event.
"All three of those experiences helped me a lot to make me feel that I could believe in my game," said Clyburn.
"I train a lot when I'm at home and away – it helps improve my mental side as well, which comes in so useful at crucial times.
"I just tried to treat it like any other day. I left my thoughts from the fourth round behind me.
"I'd played solid golf all week and I felt in control – apart from that 10th hole, but everyone has a bad hole.
"On the fifth round I knew I had to shoot low, a couple under par – but I was feeling better and knew what I needed to do to get the job done."
