Oliver Wilson is becoming tired of his status as Europe's nearly man after yesterday's heartbreaking play-off defeat by Sergio Garcia at the HSBC Champions marked an eighth career runner-up berth for the Ryder Cup rookie.
New world number two Garcia birdied the 18th hole in regulation to earn his place in the play-off with his Ryder Cup team-mate before prevailing at the second extra hole to condemn Wilson to a fourth career play-off defeat and fifth second-place finish this year.
At May's BMW PGA Championship, Wilson lost to fellow Ryder Cup debutant Miguel Angel Jimenez in a play-off.
"It's getting to a stage where second is not good enough anymore. There was a time I was pleased to be finishing there, and it's gone, and it's about time I took my chances," said the 28-year-old.
"It's going to happen, but I'm making it hard on myself. It will be worth it when I finally get one. It's not going to be easy, it's not going to be given to me."
Players' Championship winner Garcia was quick to back Wilson to end his search for a maiden career victory after claiming his 19th professional triumph in thrilling fashion at the weather-disrupted event in Shanghai.
"A win is defiantly close for Oliver. He is playing great and it is going to happen very soon," said the Spaniard.
"Oliver has been playing great, he has just been unfortunate. I have been on that side of the net before and it's not a great feeling, but he can take a lot of positives from it.
"He has to think about the whole week and the whole year; he has had a great year, and take all the positives and make sure that helps him get better. He is going to win soon, he is playing too good not to."
On the fifth day of the disrupted championship, Garcia holed from four feet on the final green to cap a final round four-under-par 68 to join overnight leader Wilson at the top of the leaderboard after the Englishman shot a fourth-round 70.
The duo both had chances at the first extra hole before Wilson could only manage a par on the return trip down the 18th, allowing Garcia to hole out from eight feet from the fringes of the green to seal back-to-back triumphs after claiming victory at the Castello Masters on his home course at the end of October.
Wilson's second-placed finish did help him move up to 42nd in the world, which would earn him a place at April's US Masters, while the US dollars 555,550 (Ј352,321) cheque handed him a solid start to the Race to Dubai - the lucrative, revamped Order of Merit.
He will now head to Singapore and Hong Kong over the next two weeks in a bid to cement the top-50 berth by the end of the year, which would ensure a trip to Augusta.
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