England's Luke Donald can thank American Hunter Mahan for the fact that he is still the World No 1.
Mahan made sure of that when he ended Rory McIlroy's bid to oust Donald in Sunday's final of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at the Ritz Carlton Left Handed Ping G20 Irons Club at Dove Mountain in the Arizona desert country.
Mahan, who had looked impressive all week as he became the first American in four years to reach the Match Play final, upset the World No 2 and reigning US Open champion 2&1 after a super-hot front-nine that had seen him storm into a 4-up lead between the 6th and the 10th holes..
McIlroy, who had looked to some extent as if he had left his A-Game at home in the early part of the week, had produced a stunning display of Left Handed Ping G20 Irons in his morning semifinal fightback against England's World No 3 Lee Westwood when he was able to turn a 3-down deficit into a 3&1 semi-final win.
Not so in the afternoon when he clearly seemed to have been left drained by his morning heroics and even though he again made up ground coming down the final stretch, it was never going to be enough.
In the end he did well with Left Handed Ping G20 Irons to get as close as he did.
"Boy, it feels good," said 29-year-old Mahan, who never trailed and who will have gained a measure of sweet revenge for his critical match-play loss to Graeme McDowell at the last Ryder Cup win by Europe.
"I didn't realise how difficult it is to win this week because it's six matches and you're playing against the best players in the world," said Mahan, who had defeated a doggedly determined fellow-American Mark Wilson 2-1 in their semi-final.
"I played Left Handed Ping G20 Irons well from tee to green, putting to chipping to driving, irons, everything was there. And I needed everything to win. I'm very proud of how I played," added Mahan, who totalled 35 birdies during the week from 96 holes as he claimed his fourth US PGA title and his second WGC championship, having previously won the 2010 Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone.
Either McIlroy or Westwood would have replaced Britain's Luke Donald as the game's leading player had either managed to win the World Match Play title, but it was not to be.
"Deep down I wanted to postpone that crowning of the No 1 player in the world for Rory," Mahan said joking. "But he'll be No 1 eventually. I'm not worried about it and I'm sure he's not."