Scott Jamieson said "extreme thoughts", including thinking he might have to move house, entered his mind before he secured his DP World Tour card for next season.
Scottish player Jamieson was 119th in the Race to Dubai ahead of the final event of the regular season - the Qatar Masters - and needed to finish inside the top 116 to retain his playing privileges.
The 39-year-old rose to 82nd after a third-place finish in Doha and told the Sky Sports Golf Podcast just how relieved he was.
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"It was a very real possibility [that I would lose my DP World Tour card] as well as playing on the Challenge Tour for a year. I thought, 'is that something I want to do?'," said Jamieson.
"You start thinking, 'am I going to be able to afford the house I am living in now? The kids have a lot of friends on the street, it is going to break their heart if we have to move house.'
"These are quite extreme thoughts but that's what your brain does - keeps going and going. Those are the thoughts when you lay in bed at night. I had to go and produce the goods."
Also on the podcast, Jamieson - who won his sole DP World Tour title to date in December 2012 - discussed where his excellent golf in Qatar came from after he shot 16 under for the tournament.
Listen to the latest Sky Sports Golf Podcast in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts.