Matthieu Pavon's first PGA Tour win - in a way - summed up much of his career to date. He was playing well yet never really looked like he would be the star. But then that unflinching work ethic and a twist of fate ultimately ended up producing Pavon's moment.
The Frenchman's success at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines arrived after he fought through the chasing pack and grafted his way into the lead late on - only to almost throw it away.
Following a front-nine 33 which saw him pull alongside overnight leader Stephan Jaeger after being four shots behind through three holes, Pavon walked onto the par-4 17th leading by two. However, a highly-unwelcome three putt dragged the Frenchman back towards Nicolai Hojgaard with one to play.
What happened on 18 was nothing short of a rollercoaster ride - finished off by a moment of sheer brilliance. As Hojgaard left himself with a long-range eagle putt after making the green in two, Pavon's journey to the cut stuff was far more complicated.
The 32-year-old drove into the left-hand fairway bunker - against the lip - and was forced to wedge out into the fairway. Well, that was the plan. He missed and found the left rough, instead, leaving just inside 150 yards to the pin.
Against the advice of his caddie, Mark Sherwood, Pavon went for glory from the thick rough. But thank goodness he did. A perfectly-struck 8-iron bounced 15 feet from the hole and gradually trickled its way down to about half the distance, leaving a birdie putt for the win following Hojgaard's missed eagle attempt.
A par would have led to a playoff, but from the moment the ball left Pavon's putter, that scenario was a distant memory. He drained it, and the celebrations began.
SPANISH OPEN
While celebrating has become something of a habit for Pavon in recent months, the years prior were not so kind. Almost a decade after his first two professional wins - both arrived on the Alps Tour in 2014 and 2015, respectively - there was a barren spell which seemed destined to go on indefinitely.
And although he wasn't able to lift trophies, there were a handful of small victories for Pavon. After earning his Challenge Tour card for the 2016 season as a result of the two Alps Tour wins, Pavon quickly found relative success there, too, finishing sixth in the season-ending rankings to secure a DP World Tour card.
What followed was seven seasons of almost moments. He recorded three runner-up finishes and three thirds along with 16 top-10s. However, his impressive consistency finally generated a result he was long overdue in Spain's capital on his 185th DP World Tour start.
He led the tournament wire-to-wire and closed with a seven-under 64 to wrap up a dominant 23-under winning score. And as is the case for many players, that first victory seemed to unleash the player Pavon knew had been waiting to emerge for some time.
DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Pavon's excellent 2023 season, capped off by a first win - still hadn't quite secured him a PGA Tour card heading into the final event of the year, though, with the top-10 finishers on the European circuit's rankings earning a ticket to America for the following campaign.
And despite seven top-10s alone in 2023, it looked like it would be a case of 'close, but no cigar' for the Frenchman as he entered the last 18 holes just outside the magic bubble.
But Pavon seemingly loves the drama and left it right up until the final four holes on Sunday to make his dream happen. Staring down the barrel of the cruelest denial, a quadruple run of consecutive birdies on 15, 16, 17, and 18 in Dubai catapulted him into eighth on the season rankings and into T5 for the closing event. Talk about cutting it fine.
PGA TOUR DREAM
Having reached somewhere near the summit of men's professional golf, Pavon wasted very little time in hiking to the top and scanning back down the mountain of his fascinating career.
In just his third PGA Tour start since earning a full-time card, Pavon became the first Frenchman to win a PGA Tour-recognized event since Arnaud Massy claimed the 1907 Open Championship.
Iconic French names such as Victor Perez, Paul Barjon, Victor Dubuisson, Jean van de Velde, and Thomas Levet had all failed to do what Pavon has done. But the former low-ranked amateur doesn't care about history. The new World No.34 just knows he has clinched PGA Tour status through 2026 and has exemptions into the remaining Signature Events this term - as well as a spot at the Players Championship and The Masters.
Who knows what magic Pavon might produce next?
