Surrey duo Craig Cowper and Gary Marks are determined to make the most of the lifeline they have been given to play in the final of the SkyCaddie PGA Fourball Championship, supported by Sunderland.
The pair fell short in the south region qualifier and had given up on playing in the £30,000 54-hole event at Fulford Golf Club in York next week.
However, last week they received a late call-up into the event after Merrist Wood's Alan Lovelace and West Hill's David Osborn - winners of the qualifier - pulled out because of work commitments.
"It was fantastic news. We had pretty much resigned ourselves to missing out," said Cowper, who teaches with Marks at World of Golf in New Malden.
"We blew it at the qualifier because we finished really badly so we thought we woudn't get to go to the final."
The pair are both in good form this year and are battling out with four others to be crowned Order of Merit winner with one event remaining.
However, that friendly rivalry will be put to one side as they go for glory in the final, which begins on October 1.
"Gary is a very good player and both of us have had good seasons," added Cowper, who earlier this year won the Sunningdale Foursomes with Neil Reilly.
"We feel we have got a great chance in it. We don't get much time to play with each other - I think the qualifier was the first time we had played together this season - but we have worked at the same place for 10 years.
"It is good for the range because we work there full time.
"I played in the final a couple of years ago with Neil and missed the cut by one shot. We didn't compete as we wanted to so we've got to make the most of it.
"We are feeling confident and are just itching to play, especially at such a nice golf course."
Kent's Darren Parris returns to the final having finished joint third last year. He is again playing with Mark Reynolds, with whom he struck up a successful partnership and good friendship while members of the 2005 PGA Cup team.
"I would take third again but we do move up a bit that would be fantastic," said the 35-year-old from North Foreland Golf Club.
"We played great last year. We had a pretty solid start and really good second day when I think we shot nine under. Finishing 24 under for the week you can't complain.
"We weren't too far away but in the last four or five holes as soon as we made a birdie the leaders made a birdie."
Few teams get much chance to practice together but for Parris and Reynolds it is even more problematic as the latter, originally from Sheffield, works at Golf Centrum in Holland.
They even had to change their plans for qualifying because of schedule clashes, progressing from the midlands region event as opposed to the one in the south.
"It was my daughter's fifth birthday the week of south region qualifying and Mark had a tournament," explained Parris.
"But he played well that day of the midlands qualifier and made most of the birdies. It is that kind of format where you can be aggressive.
"Birdies and eagles are the order of the day. In the final you have to play aggressively from the first hole and get as far under par as you can."
Last year's champions Matt Morris and Adrian Carey are not returning to defend their title after a change in their playing categories made them in ineligible.
"I think they shot 58 on the first day and that was an amazing score and obviously they would have come back as favourites," added Parris.