(CNN) -- "Nice guys finish last" is a mantra often preached in sport and business. Where golf is concerned, it would seem "nice guys" finish second. And they even manage to smile.
Adam Scott and In-Kyung Kim both won plenty of admirers for their sportsmanship and grace during two of the sport's blue riband major tournaments this year.
The only drawback was, all that praise came after agonizing defeats.
For Scott, an Australian ranked sixth in the men's game who has long been tipped for major success, July's British Open tested his ability to swallow the bitter pills so often served up on golf's greens and fairways.
He held a four-shot lead going into the final round, but bogeyed the last four holes and handed the title to veteran South African Ernie Els.
His capitulation followed in the tradition of his compatriot Greg Norman, one of the greatest golfers of the 1980s and early '90s -- but a player who famously "choked" on several big occasions.
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"I think the emotions shown in golf are different to other sports," the 32-year-old Scott told CNN when asked about how he was able to remain dignified in the face of abject disappointment at Royal Lytham and St. Annes. He congratulated Els with a brave if rueful smile and carried out his duties to face the seemingly endless stream of media requests.
"It has always been referred to as a gentleman's game, but I think it has got more to do with how you're brought up and your influences," Scott said.
"I certainly feel like my parents have brought me up well, but also I had good role models that I looked up to as a kid.
"Certainly Greg Norman, I saw him win hundreds of tournaments and lose some big ones, but I think he handled himself well in those situations too, so like you do when you're a kid you always try to mimic those you look up to."
Norman won his first major in 1986, a decade after turning professional. However, that year he led all four majors going into the final round, but came away with just a British Open victory -- his first of two Claret Jugs.
The "Great White Shark" was runner-up at no less than seven major tournaments.
Scott, who tied for second at last year's Masters, collapsed over his putter at Royal Lytham after blowing his biggest chance yet of a breakthrough win.
"I think I was a little numb from shock that I might have lost," he explained. "I felt like I played like a winner the whole week and even with a couple of mistakes coming in it didn't feel horrendous out on the course.
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"There is only one shot I was really, really disappointed with and that was the shot into the 17th green. I wasn't really in that much trouble on the last few holes other than the 17th where I was in the long grass.
"That ends up putting me in quite an awkward position to close the tournament. That is probably the one shot I would like to take over again. But other than that I don't think I would do anything different."
Kim, known as "I.K.," is one of a troop of promising female golfing talents emerging from Asia. The South Korean looked set to announce her arrival on the world stage when she was stood over a one-foot putt at the 18th to win her first major at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in April.
The ball rolled around the lip of the cup but refused to sink, coming to a stop outside of the hole. Somehow Kim had missed and, in a cruel coincidence, she was forced into a playoff with compatriot Yoo Sun-Young which she duly lost.
"I was disappointed right after it happened," the 24-year-old told CNN.
"I get this question a lot ... I am competitive, but from my point of view you can't really attach your emotion to a result. It is something you can't control."
Separating her emotions from her golf is something Kim has worked on throughout her career, using a mental coach to help her hone her craft.
"All we can control is the process and how hard we work, which we do every day," the world No. 18 explained. "I feel like I worked really hard through that tournament and I stayed with my process and everything was good. I moved on."
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These techniques involve learning to appreciate the good and the bad.
"To smile more often, to enjoy," Kim said. "I sometimes forget what I can control and what I can't -- they remind me."
Kim's ability to perform in golf's most pressurized situations has been called into question. The playoff at the Kraft Nabisco Championship was the third of her career, and her third defeat.
"I've always been really bummed out after the 18th hole and gone into the playoff without preparing," Kim said. "That is something I have been working on, to control emotion after whatever happened.
"After you have finished it is tough to go and do a playoff, there is nothing you can think about before. That is something I have to work on."
It has been two and a half years since Kim last won an event, the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in November 2010.
Kim picked up a cool $220,000 for winning the tournament in Guadalajara, and she chose to donate all of it to charity.
"I like competition, but it is just a different feeling helping someone," said Kim, who has earned more than $5 million since turning pro in 2007. "I feel like I can help by playing golf.
"Without a lot of good people around me I wouldn't be able to do it, so I'm fortunate and I wanted to share the win. I always dreamed about helping other people and I had an opportunity."
Ernie Els ended a 10-year wait for his fourth major title after winning the British Open for the second time following Adam Scott's final-round collapse at Royal Lytham and St. Annes.
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Like Kim, Scott is also without a win in 2012. The Adelaide native still has the chance to address that -- this week he lines up at the $7 million WGC-HSBC Champions event in China, then goes to Singapore before returning home for two of Australia's biggest tournaments.
"Playing at home is a big deal for me, I certainly want to perform," said Scott, who has earned more than $28 million on the U.S. PGA Tour.
"I'm also quite motivated because I feel like I've played a lot of good golf this year to not have a win and I'd really like to finish the year off by winning one, or two or more of these tournaments.
"I still view (the British Open) as the highlight of my year. To play so well, that's what I've been trying so long to do in majors, and finally it has happened.
"I didn't come out as a champion, but if I can repeat that kind of preparation and play then I'm sure if give myself another chance I'm going to win a major or two."
Kim has won three times on the LPGA Tour, and once on the European Ladies' circuit, but is cautious about her chances of ending her title drought.
"Golf is a mystery," she said ahead of this week's Mizuno Classic in Japan. "Nobody knows how to play this game perfectly and I don't think anyone has ever done it. You play four rounds every week and it is very hard to keep that momentum going.
"You have to do a lot of work, it might come out this weekend, you never know. I'll do my best, there are things I need to improve but there are things I'm doing well.
"You want to win, but it's difficult, being reminded it has been two years since you won! It's not easy, but for me I work really hard. I'm very happy with everything, so hopefully I can win more tournaments by the end of this year."
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I.K. Kim has also endured major heartbreak in 2012. The 24-year-old missed a one-foot putt on the final hole of the Kraft Nabisco Championship that would've earned her first major, and then lost a playoff to fellow South Korean Yoo Sun-Young. But Scott and Kim aren't the only golfers to have choked on the big stage...
Rory McIlroy may now be the world's top-ranked golfer, but there was a time when he was looking for a first major win. Surely it would come at the 2011 Masters? The Northern Irishman had torn up the famous Augusta course, entering the final day with a four-stroke lead. McIlroy shot the worst round ever recorded by someone leading after three rounds of the Masters. He watched on heartbroken as Charl Schwartzel took the title, but bounced back with a record-breaking U.S. Open win to clinch his first major.
If McIlroy is still haunted by his Augusta nightmare, then one can only imagine the demons which must dwell in the mind of Jean van de Velde. The Frenchman was on course to become a shock winner of the 1999 British Open, requiring just a double bogey on the 18th hole to claim the Claret Jug. What followed has made Van de Velde one sport's most infamous chokers, with a series of wayward shots leaving him in the water. Van de Velde found a greenside bunker with his fifth shot before he eventually holed his seventh for a triple bogey, forcing a playoff. Scotland's Paul Lawrie emerged from the three-way decider as the champion.
Great chokes are not confined to the golf course. There wasn't a dry eye on Centre Court as Czech tennis star Jana Novotna sobbed uncontrollably on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent after losing the 1993 Wimbledon women's singles final to Steffi Graf. Novotna led 6-7 6-1 4-1 before collapsing and allowing Graf to take the title. Novotna did eventually win a grand slam, beating Venus Williams in the 1998 Wimbledon final.
Brazil hosted the football World Cup for the first time in 1950, with an expectant home crowd demanding the team claim the title. Everything looked to be going to plan, with a freescoring Brazil team needing just a draw against Uruguay to seal a first World Cup triumph. Despite taking the lead, Brazil ended up losing 2-1 lead -- and a country was devastated. Since then "A Selecao" have won the World Cup five times, more than any other nation.
But even Brazil's collapse cannot match AC Milan's "achievement" in the 2005 European Champions League final against Liverpool. Carlo Ancelotti's Milan blew their English opponents out of the water in the first half, racing into a 3-0 lead. But, in six incredible second-half minutes, Rafeal Benitez's Liverpool launched one of the greatest comebacks in the history of sport, scoring three times to level the match. Liverpool held on grimly to force a penalty shootout, with Jerzy Dudek's save from Andriy Shevchenko handing Liverpool a most unlikely success.
U.S. sport is not immune to chokes. Buffalo Bills kicker Scott Norwood has the unfortunate honor of being arguably America's most famous choker. At Super Bowl XXV against the New York Giants, Norwood missed a 47-yard field goal that would've won the Vince Lombardi trophy for the Bills. It marked the first of four consecutive Super Bowl defeats for Buffalo and a the start of a rapid descent out of the NFL for Norwood.
Both McIlroy and Woods, pictured above, had their handprints immortalized in clay as a lavish ceremony featuring drum majorettes and fireworks preceded their clash in the Chinese city Zhengzhou.
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"The scene was barely-controlled chaos," wrote Sports Illustrated's Alan Shipnuck. "Some 3,000 fans streamed across the fairways, with soldiers locking arms in a human fence to keep the throngs off the greens."
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"On the tee boxes there were so many camera clicks it sounded like machine gun fire," Shipnuck wrote.
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Justin Rose punches the air as he caps an unlikely comeback of his own, defeating Phil Mickelson on the 18th green after being one down with two to play. The American described his loss as one of the turning points of the 2012 Ryder Cup.
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Jean Van de Velde (middle) looks bewildered as he reflects on his defeat in the 1999 British Open. The Frenchman blew a three-shot lead on the final hole, so forcing a play-off with Justin Leonard (right) and Scotland's Paul Lawrie (left) which the latter won to seal his first major, despite trailing Van de Velde by an enormous 10 strokes before the final round took place.
Liverpool players celebrate with goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek (in black) after the English side completed their remarkable comeback against Italians AC Milan in the 2005 European Champions League final. Trailing 3-0 at half time, Liverpool scored three goals in six second half minutes in Istanbul to force extra time and a penalty shoot-out, which they won 3-2.
Players and fans of Manchester City celebrate after winning their first English title since 1968. City trailed Queens Park Rangers 2-1 but scored two stoppage time goals to win 3-2 - and so deny city rivals Manchester United the title. The success echoed United's 1999 Champions League triumph in Barcelona, where they beat Bayern Munich 2-1 despite trailing after 90 minutes.
Having won the last four gold medals, the Soviet Union were hot favourites to win ice hockey gold at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Few expected Team USA - made up of amateur and college players - to stop them but they defied the odds to beat the Soviets 4-3 in a semifinal which became known as 'The Miracle on Ice.' They went on to win gold against Finland in the final.
Despite being two sets and 5-1 down in his semifinal, Frenchman Henri Cochet managed to win the 1927 Wimbledon title. He stunned the world No. 1, American Bill TiIden, in the semis before repeating his escapology act in the final, trailing by two sets once more and surviving six match points before rallying to win in five sets for a third successive game.
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It topped a big week for South Africans, whose former president Nelson Mandela turned 94 on July 18. He is seen here with former U.S. leader Bill Clinton at his home in Qunu the day before his birthday.
While Els thanked "Madiba" after his victory, other sporting figures also paid tribute to South Africa's anti-apartheid hero. Here top riders at the Tour de France wait behind a poster of Mandela.
Els was the first South African golfer to win a major title after Mandela came to power in 1994. They are seen here before the final round of the 1996 South African PGA Championship.
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The South Korean was sprayed with champagne after her four-stroke win at Blackwolf Run.
She was congratulated by compatriot Se Ri Pak, left, who inspired a new generation of Korean golfers when she won the same tournament at the same venue in 1998.
Korea-born New Zealander Lydia Ko was the leading amateur as she tied for 39th, at the age of 15.
World No. 1 Yani Tseng of Taiwan finished tied for 50th after successive rounds of 78 in the only one of the four major tournaments she has yet to win.
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