The 40-year-old golfer was ranked number 229 when he beat the likes of Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton to pull off victory last November and he recalled the surge of adrenalin he felt when he hit a shot he knew would seal his win.

He told bunkered magazine: “The most nervous I was in that round was when I had hit the second shot into 18.

“I buttoned it and thought it was middle of the green, but then it had gone over the back edge.

“There was still work to do.

“I left myself 10 feet and all of a sudden I had 10 feet for $1.5 million. Do I try to hole it? Dolly it up there? But then what if I leave it three feet short?

“To hole it, the feeling was unbelievable. I’ll never experience anything like it ever again. The adrenaline. It was proper.”

Paul had been more nervous on the third day of the tournament, but once he got a “bad round” out of the way, he felt more confident about his chances on the fourth and final round.

He said: “On the Saturday, I had a six-shot lead against a field like that. It was the most nervous I’ve ever been. The golf course played much tougher too.

“I remember Tommy Fleetwood coming over to me and saying, ‘When did this place turn into a US Open?’

“I didn’t tryst what I was doing and lost control in my hands.

“But I knew after the Saturday was over and I got through it with a one-shot lead that I had a real chance.

“I knew my bad round was out of the way.

“On Sunday, I knew it was going to be uncomfortable but I embraced that and I was absolutely fine. It was weird, I really can’t explain it.”