The strong-willed Meath man has learned and improved with every step he has made, writes Philip Reid

AS A certain advertisement running on our television screens informs us, you don't always have to take the obvious options. Rather than going for A or B, there is also C. In the case of Damien McGrane, the road less travelled has been longer and more wearisome, but, as his win in the China Open proved, very worthwhile.

At the age of 37, he has finally arrived: and it has definitely been worth the wait.

Earlier this season, when paired with Tiger Woods for the final two rounds of the Dubai Desert Classic, the question was posed, "Damien Who?" Now, he has given an emphatic answer.

McGrane's win - the second by an Irish player on tour this season, following Graeme McDowell's victory in the Ballantines tournament in Korea last month - has propelled him to sixth on the PGA European Tour money list and onto the fringes of contention for a Ryder Cup place.

Who is Damien McGrane? Well, he is one of the hardest-working professionals on tour, a player who served his apprenticeship as a club professional. He was first taken under the wing of Joey Purcell, the professional at Portmarnock Golf Club, and then as an assistant to Brendan McGovern at Headfort Golf Club in Kells.

He then became the club pro at Wexford Golf Club - before finally chasing his dream.

Pursuing that dream involved five visits to the European Tour qualifying school and several seasons operating on the Challenge Tour circuit.

Yet, it is an indication of his perseverance and single-mindedness that, since he won a tour card for the 2003 season, this strong-willed Meath man has learned and improved with every step he has made.

From 140th in the money list in 2003, McGrane finished 101st in 2004, 59th in 2005 and a career-high 56th in 2006, before finishing 73rd last year.

This year, though, he has moved up several levels: he is sixth on the money list (with €543,209), and had finished runner-up in the Indian Masters in February, the week after getting up-close to Woods in Dubai.

However, it was back in the PGA Championship at Wentworth in 2001 that McGrane first signalled he was more than just a good club pro. He opened with a 68 and rubbed shoulders with Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie before finally falling down the leaderboard over the weekend to eventually finish 58th.

Yet, that experience confirmed he was good enough not only to survive on tour but, one day, to win.

After all, McGrane had shown he had talent when dominating the Irish PGA Region (winning the Order of Merit three times in five seasons), while, as a junior, he won the Irish Boys' championship in 1988. The talent was there, and so was the work ethic, and he turned professional as a scratch handicapper in 1991.

The club professional scene is a hard taskmaster, with lessons for club members as important a factor as actually playing your game. But McGrane thrived, dominating the Irish PGA and winning a place on the Britain and Ireland team in the PGA Cup at Celtic Manor in 2000.

They lost narrowly to the American team, but McGrane again got confirmation he was good enough to play at that level . . . and that maybe the time had come to chase that dream of playing on tour.

Even when McGrane first attempted to play on tour, he kept his job as club professional at Wexford where he juggled the demands of life in the pro shop with the one on tour. Eventually, he gave up the day job - where he had received terrific support from the Wexford members - to go to play full-time on tour.

Back in February, when playing with Woods, McGrane remarked on where he had come in the game.

"It's been a long road for me. I still think I'm on the correct road, moving forward. It's nice to see my name on the leader board. That's what it is about, isn't it? That's why we practice so hard and why we work continuously to improve what we do."

Now, McGrane has put those words into action. He has moved on to a new level, following a long line of Irish players to win on the European Tour . . . and proving that there is more than one way to achieve your dream.

And, now that he has won, don't expect him to sit on his laurels. He ain't that type of guy.