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Graeme McDowell led the WGD-HSBC Champions since an opening 67 on Thursday but struggled to a closing 73 at Sheshan International to finish joint third alongside Hiroshi Iwata and Rickie Fowler.
"To be brutally honest, I didn't have my 'A' game all week," McDowell said. "And the golf course just got so difficult this weekend. The pins were evil at times and you really had to be on your iron play to have a chance to access them and I didn't play well enough, simple as that.
"The putter that was so hot early in the week kind of cooled off this weekend, but to finish tied third in this type of field, not playing my best, I have to count myself fairly fortunate.
"To finish third in the style I did, I'm disappointed. To finish third playing the way I did, I'm pretty happy."
But it was two moments of magic on Sheshan International’s 18th hole saw Bubba Watson win the WGC-HSBC Champions after a play-off with Tim Clark on a dramatic final day in Shanghai.
Watson was two shots clear with three holes to play, only to bogey the 16th and run up a double bogey on the 17th after failing to escape a greenside bunker at the first attempt.
That dropped the Masters Tournament champion one shot behind playing partners Clark and Rickie Fowler, as well as the final group of Graeme McDowell, Hiroshi Iwata and Martin Kaymer.
Clark looked in pole position when he hit his third shot to the par five 18th to four feet and saw Fowler find the water and Watson a greenside bunker.
However, Watson then amazingly holed his bunker shot for an eagle and Clark's birdie was only good enough to leave the pair tied on 11 under, with the final group needing to birdie the last to join the play-off.
Kaymer's chances disappeared when his approach flew over the green into the water, while McDowell and Iwata missed from 18 and 12 feet respectively.
Clark and Watson returned to the 18th for the play-off and Watson found the same greenside bunker with his second shot after Clarke had hit his third to around 20 feet.
Watson was unable to repeat his heroics from the sand but after Clark had left his birdie attempt short, the left-hander holed his birdie putt to seal victory.
"For me this is the big one," Watson said after his third win in 2014. "It's very big because I always wanted to win outside the US. It's my seventh win, gets me closer to ten wins which has always been my goal. It's a World Golf Championship, so when you add it all up it means a lot."
Speaking about the 72nd hole, the 36 year old added: "It was such a tough bunker shot you are not really thinking about making it, but I told my caddie it's been a wild day, a wild couple of holes, but if we can make this it changes everything and it went in like a putt. Clark was like 'Why would you do that?!'
"In the play-off, it was funny because the bunker shot I holed was on the same line (as the putt) so we knew the line, we knew it was fast. I was trying to two-putt and it just fell in."
Clark was left to rue missing a short birdie putt on the 16th but the South African said: "I never expected to be in this position at the start of the week. I fought hard. I knew I needed to birdie that play-off hole, especially with him (Watson) being able to reach.
US Open Champion Kaymer also tried to look at the positives despite the double bogey on the 18th which dropped him into a tie for sixth with Ryder Cup team-mate Ian Poulter and Denmark's Thorbjørn Olesen.
"It was just unfortunate with 18," said Kaymer, who won the title in 2011. "Thought I had a good yardage. I thought it was a perfect yardage with a hurting wind, but it came off very, very hot.
"But I take a lot of positives out of that week. It was a good week. I played really well and I have another two or three big tournaments to go."
Shane Lowry finished in share of 34th place despite a difficult start on Thursday with a round of 78. As the WGC event in China did not have a cut the Clara golfer carded further rounds of 68, 74 and 69.
No doubt his cheque for €77,000 easing the pain somewhat of the opening day and helps close in on a top 50 world ranking spot.
Currently 51st Lowry knows the benefits of the getting into the world's top golfers with the first reward a trip to Augusta for the the first major of the season.
He now travels to the Turkish Airlines Open and then the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
