The Spaniard drained an eight-foot effort at the par-5 18th to claim the $1 million first prize in the co-sanctioned event after the playoff at the Sentosa Golf Club was suspended twice by heavy rainstorms on Sunday.

It marked a fifth European Tour victory for the 31-year-old Spaniard, four of them in playoffs, and his first since the 2008 British Masters, but the past successes had done little to help on a clear morning in Singapore.

“This is probably the most nervous I have been on the golf course,” Fernandez-Castano told reporters as he sat next to the huge trophy.

“It is a strange feeling, I had won four times on tour and been in many playoffs but I have never been as nervous as the last couple of days.

“It has been a tough morning as it was also a tough night. I didn’t get much sleep, I haven’t slept much in the last couple of days.”

The tournament had been reduced to 54 holes after numerous rain delays and it was their third attempt at completing the shoot-out for the title, with the duo returning to the course at 7:30 a.m. on Monday to hit their third shots to the 18th.

Pagunsan went first and fired his approach to five feet but missed the opportunity to claim his first European Tour title when his putt for victory grazed the left edge of the cup after Fernandez-Castano had missed his birdie attempt from nine feet.

Both players again chose to lay up when they played the hole for a second time with Fernandez-Castano landing his approach a couple of feet inside Pagunsan’s ball on the green.

The Filipino, who has one win on the Asian Tour in 2007, rolled his downhill effort just right off the cup and the Spaniard made no mistake on his first opportunity to win it.

Looking more relieved than overjoyed when the ball dropped in the cup the Spaniard said the delays had benefited him.

“I think that suspension, the first suspension of the playoff helped me a bit, helped me a lot and definitely coming back today helped me even more,” a relieved Fernandez-Castano said.

The muted reaction in front of a sparse crowd was likely to have stemmed from the fact that Fernandez-Castano had held a four-shot lead on the back nine before folding under pressure.

“It has been a great relief, especially the way I played yesterday (Sunday), having a four-shot lead and spoiling it all. It has been three years without a victory and it means a lot to me,” Fernandez-Castano said.

Pagunsan had drained a 12-foot birdie putt on the 54th and final hole on Sunday to record a four-under 67 before overnight leader Fernandez-Castano recovered to hole a similar-length putt for par and a 1-over round of 72 after finding water off the tee.

Although disappointed to lose the playoff, Pagunsan, the world No. 492, was compensated with a $666,660 runners-up check which propelled him to the top of the Asian Order of Merit with three events remaining.

“This is my big chance to win but I missed it, but still I am a big winner,” the jovial 33-year-old said.