closest to the pin
Golf term for the shot that lands nearest to the hole; often used in competitions or as a prize category.
wasei-eigo (Japanese-coined English), from near pin
He won the closest-to-the-pin prize.
very close; just missing; almost making it
Extended colloquial use for being extremely close to success or a target, but falling just short.
I was just one point short of the passing score. That's really a near miss.
My lottery number was off by one digit — so close!