“I fought as hard as I could and I’m bitterly disappointed,” said the Irishman, who has still to win an individual title since 2001 and was also second on the course in the BMW Championship in May.

“I need to get over the finishing line again,” he added before revealing that he is to get one his clubs checked out.

“Every time I hit a four-iron I hit a crap shot,” stated McGinley. And it got so bad that he decided to hit a five-iron instead on the 33rd hole – and pushed that wide.

He was all square at the time, but bogeyed that hole and the next. McGinley also thought he did not have the run of the ball.

On the 30th, Campbell, having just lost a three-hole lead and been interrupted by a streaker, was a foot from out of bounds, but birdied the hole.

“That was huge,” said McGinley. “It got him back on an even keel again.

“If I’d gone up one-up I would have fancied my chances.”

Campbell started the season with five successive missed cuts, but then had “a look in the mirror” and changed a lot of things.

“My wife and I found things deep down that weren’t good,” he said, without elaborating. “I changed my whole ‘Cambo’ team and worked on different aspects of my life, not just golf.

“There are other things that make you tick as a person and make you feel good about yourself. That’s the bottom line.”