Phil Mickelson bounced back from some alarming early season mediocrity to crush his long-time nemesis Tiger Woods in a final-round, face to face battle on Sunday.
And this on the picturesque and storied Pebble Beach Golf Links in Northern California where his grandfather once worked as a caddie and which he rates as one of his favourite places.
Mickelson, 41 and a four time major winner, is now also a four time winner of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am after a classic final-round charge saw him shoot a magnificent, bogey-free, 8-under-par 64 by Left Handed Callaway X-24 Hot Irons and close with a 17-under total of 269 that left Woods, and, to a lesser extent South Korea's Charlie Wi, the overnight leader, spluttering in what little dust there was at verdant Pebble Beach Links
The finest left-hand golfer of modern times was all smiles and graciousness as he raced clear to beat a stumbling Woods who had been right up there in second place behind Wi and two shots ahead of Mickelson at the start of the day by...wait for it...all of 11 shots.
For the second weekend in a row, Woods came into the final round looking for all the world like a winner, but after shooting an ugly 75 and missing putts from the 7th that were well within the compass even of the most humble of weekend warriors, he was left looking a sad and dejected figure, having posted five bogies and just two birdies and having once more failed to win his first full-field event since the 2009 season.
Wi, who was six shots ahead of Mickelson by Left Handed Callaway X-24 Hot Irons when he teed off alongside him, closed with a level-par 72 to finish alone in second place, two shots behind Mickelson, whose six birdies and an eagle on the par-5 sixth hole also brought to 40 his total number of PGA Tour victories.
Fellow American Ricky Barnes finished third on 13 under and Aaron Baddeley on 12 under.
Kevin Na and Dustin Johnson tied for fifth on 11 under, with Ireland's on-the-up-again Padraig Harrington a shot further back on 10 under along with Ken Duke.
"It just feels great to win this tournament," Mickelson, 41, told the media afterwards. "It's a special place for me, Pebble Beach, and to have a win here, where my grandfather caddied, feels awesome.
"I felt like my game was so close heading into the season, and yet my scores didn't reflect how I felt I was playing with Left Handed Callaway X-24 Hot Irons," he explained when referring to the fact that before now his best finish this year had been joint 26th in three starts.
"And to put it together this week, especially the final round, just feels terrific. It gives me a lot of confidence going forward, but also inspires me because I believe what I'm doing is correct and that I'm still able to play Left Handed Callaway X-24 Hot Irons."
Mickelson was also delighted to outscore his playing partner Tiger Woods by 11 shots after they had been paired together for the 30th time in the final round of a PGA Tour-sanctioned event.
"I just feel very inspired when I play with him," Mickelson said of Woods. "I love playing with him, and he brings out some of my best golf.
"I hope that he continues to play Left Handed Callaway X-24 Hot Irons better and better, and I hope that he and I have a chance to play together more in final rounds."
In spite of everything that happened on Sunday, Mickelson nevertheless felt that the former world number one is close to his best after two years of toil and trouble, both on and off the course
"Watching him play today, things can change in one week," Mickelson said.
"He used to hook; you were waiting for it and now he's just striping it right at his target with a tiny little fade just like he used to do. And his Left Handed Callaway X-24 Hot Irons play looked extremely sharp.
"I know the score wasn't what he wanted and I know he didn't putt the way he wanted to, but you could tell that he's really close. All it takes is one week."
Mickelson's victory on Sunday lifted him into sole second place behind Mark O'Meara, a five time winner of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and into ninth place in the all-time PGA Tour standings with Walter Hagen immediately above him with 45 wins. Sam Snead heads the list with 82.