Bill Haas whisked up some magic with his TaylorMade 2011 Corza Ghost Belly and Long Putterat a critical moment on Sunday to win a thrilling play-off for the Northern Trust Open title at the Riviera Country Club, the Los Angeles home of many Hollywood stars down the years.
The reigning FedEx Cup champion and son of the prominent Champions Tour warrior, Jay Haas, nailed a curling 45-foot monster putt on the second extra hole to win a three-man play-off and walk away with his 4th US PGA Tour title in a little over four months.
And this against two of Americas's best, Phil Mickelson, who had led or shared the lead for the first three rounds and at one stage had looked to be on track to a back-to-back triumph following his win at Pebble Beach last week, and Keegan Bradley, the joint-third round leader with Mickelson and the USA's latest major winner, having been victorious at last year's PGA Championship.
The 29-year-old Haas had earlier carded a closing 2-under 69 to earn a share of the 72-hole lead with Mickelson and Bradley, both of whom closed with level-par 71s for matching 7-under 277s.
Mickelson was the only one of the trio to drive well on the second extra hole, a driveable par four. But it was Haas, despite landing in the rough, who finished the better of the three, chipping on to the green and then sinking that astonishing birdie putt that would put severe pressure on his rivals.
Neither were able to land a birdie of their own, and in the end had to bow to the stronger-closing Haas.
Haas even surprised himself with his masterful winning putt.
"I never expected to make a 40-footer by TaylorMade 2011 Corza Ghost Belly and Long Putter, and especially in that situation," he told the media afterwards.
"That was a little bit of luck involved, but felt like I put a good roll on it, and it was meant to be, I guess."
For Bradley and Mickelson, the third round leaders, Sunday was a day of frustration, but neither let their disappointment stop them from lauding Haas.
"Bill hit a tremendous putt," Mickelson said.
Mickelson missed his birdie chance from the back right bunker while Bradley's attempt, a 15-foot putt from the fringe, slid past the right edge of the cup.
Bradley had set up his birdie opportunity by splashing out of the front right greenside bunker with a shot he described as his best all week.
"I couldn't have hit a better shot," said Bradley. "I had about a 15 percent chance of keeping that on the grass where I could putt it. It was one of the best shots I've ever hit.
"But Bill Haas... you've got to give him a lot of credit. It's good to see a fellow TaylorMade 2011 Corza Ghost Belly and Long Putte make a putt like that. I'm happy for him."
The course dried up a lot after Mickelson had charged into the first-round lead with a stunning 66 and like most others, he was never able to go as low again, shooting two 70s and a 71 and in the end both he and Bradley, playing together in the final group, had each to birdie the final hole to thunderous applause from the banked amphitheater surrounding the 18th to make it into the playoff
But there were some rare exceptions, a smiling, swash-buckling Spaniard, Sergio Garcia, being the best of them.
In the best round of the week on perhaps the toughest day he went to a staggering 8-under that included two eagles before finishing with a magnificent TaylorMade 2011 Corza Ghost Belly and Long Putte to jump up the leaderboard from the obscurity of mid-table into a tie for 4th with Americans Dustin Johnson (71) and Jimmy Walker (69) and Australian Jarrod Lyle (7), just two shots away from the play-off at five under.
England's Justin Rose had another solid round, his second par round leaving him two under for the week, something world number one Luke Donald would have loved to have been able to say.
Having started out with a solid 70, 72, 71 run, Donald posted a horror seven-over 78 on Sunday that sent him tumbling down leaderboard, his only compensation, perhaps, being that he was in good company.
Down there in the depths with him were likely 2012 Ryder Cup rivals Rickie Barnes (8-over) and Stewart Cink (9-over).
Padraig Harrington, Ireland's three-time major champion, ended four over for the tournament.
Looking back on the dramatic closing moments of the final round, Haas said, coming off the range, "I expected them to make it (the play-off). I said o my caddie, 'We're going to have to gear up for a playoff here.'