Although the leaderboard was clustered with little-known professionals heading into the final round of the 2011 PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club, the finish was nothing short of world-class.
Alabama resident Jason Dufner hovered near the top of the pack all tournament and peaked toward the middle of the fourth round.
After fellow American Keegan Bradley misjudged a bunker shot and rolled his Srixon ball into the pond surrounding the right side of the 14th green, Dufner held a five stroke lead as he stood onto the 14th tee.
With a loose-fitting shirt, baggy pants and a patch of brown hair underneath his bottom lip, Dufner didn't exactly look the part of a major winner, but he certainly played well enough to be one for 68 of the tournament's 72 demanding holes.
Moments later, Dufner sliced a 5-wood into the pond alongside the par-3 green, and the most amazing finish in the 2011 PGA Tour season began.
In the meantime, Bradley quickly recovered form his triple bogey to achieve birdie on the par-4 16th.
The two stroke swing shrunk Dufner's lead to three strokes and revitalized a passionate audience that was anxious for some drama in the closing moments.
Things were quickly getting too dramatic for Dufner, who makes his home only a few hundred miles from the Johns Creek course.
Sloppy play around the greens led to bogeys on holes 16 and 17, and the steady and confident gait of Dufner turned into a tentative and cautious trot as he began to process the situation in his mind.
Neither Bradley nor Dufner had ever been in contention for a tournament on a Sunday afternoon, let alone on the brink of a life-changing victory in a major.
After Bradley was able to record an impressive birdie on the 17th with a second consecutive long-range putt, the pair was tied as he teed off on the 18th and Dufner waited to do so in the following twosome.
Riding the wings of youthful exuberance and the emotional boost that two consecutive birdies provided, Bradley was on the green in two and nearly holed out a 45-footer from the top of a ridge to become the first golfer in several years to finish a major with three consecutive birdies.
After the putt trickled a few inches to the left and was tapped in for par moments later, Dufner stood on the tee of the tournament's final hole needing birdie for a victory and par to force a three hole aggregate playoff.
Though playing with much less confidence than at the beginning of his round, Dufner gathered himself and smacked his Titleist Pro V1 ball along the right edge of the fairway, setting up an approach shot that resulted in a 50-foot putt very similar to the one Bradley faced only five minutes prior.
The lie also resulted in a two-putt for par, and the pair soon waltzed toward the 15th tee to begin three holes of high-pressure, winner-take-all golf.
Unfortunately, the post-round match involved much less drama than the final holes, as Dufner's spirit was all but broken and Bradley was emboldened with the moxie of a warrior.
After a birdie and a par, Bradley found himself up two strokes going into the last hole.
The day had one more plot twist left, as Dufner was able to sink a long birdie putt to force a par from Bradley.
After rolling his third shot to within two feet of the cup, the 25-year-old tapped his ball in, thus changing his life forever.