O

ne of the most fascinating aspects of golf is it never fails to disappoint when it comes to the unlikely triumph of an
underdog.

To say that the 22-year-old American, Derek Ernst, was an underdog would be an understatement. He was not even supposed to be playing in the prestigious Wells Fargo Championship held at the formidable Quail Hollow Golf Club (par 72) in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ernst needed four men to pull out of the event just to get a chance to play.

Guess what? It happened. Ernst appeared on destiny's doorstep when Sweden's Fredrik Jacobsen became the fourth man to withdraw.

'I rented a car from New Orleans because I was going to play on the web.com tour (PGA Tour's development tour) event this week and then got the call, so [I] came straight here instead,' Ernst said.

He so defied the odds that on a cold, rain-soaked Sunday afternoon in Charlotte, Ernst was now miraculously holding the championship trophy in his arms.

He had vanquished veteran English player David Lynn in a playoff with a par putt to seal his Cinderella victory.

Until then, the largest payday of his professional career on tour had been US$20,000, which paled in contrast to the mega $1.2 million he had just won. It is safe to say that prior to Thursday's first round, no one in golf's media elite would have predicted such a stunning victory for Ernst.

He had downed the likes of Mickelson, Westwood and Watney en route to glory.

Addressing the media after his victory, the rookie Ernst expressed the novelty of his new experience: 'I had fun playing with Lucas Glover and Lee Westwood'.

This is something you can clearly comprehend considering he was ranked 1,207 in the world on Thursday prior to hitting his first tee shot at Quail Hollow. After donning the winner's blue blazer at the Wells Fargo Championship, Ernst had catapulted to inside the top 125 in the world.

When asked if he had expected his man to win, Ernst's caddie, Aaron Terry, said he thought he would have a chance when he shot an opening 5 under par 67 on Thursday. This was good enough to tie for the lead with such notables as Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and American Nick Watney. Ernst was even ahead of the American superstar, Phil Mickelson, who posted a 4 under par 68 in the first round. Mickelson, however, came back strong on day two to score a dazzling 5 under par 67 and take the lead at 9 under par. To the pundits it seemed that Ernst peaked in round one when he returned to post a 1 under par 71 in round two, falling three strokes behind Mickelson with two
rounds to play.

At 7 under par, Watney was tied for second place after the second day, shooting a 2 under par 70. Joining him were Australian Scott Gardner and American George McNeill. Ernst played consistently in difficult conditions in round three to register an even par 72, settling at 6 under par.

Watney and Mickelson were now tied for the lead after the third round, both at 8 under par, two strokes ahead of Ernst. With nothing to lose, Ernst played like a seasoned tour pro in Sunday's final round. He made an unlikely birdie on the diabolical 18th par 4, to tie David Lynn's clubhouse lead at 8 under par. With back-to-back bogeys on 16 and 17, Mickelson squandered his lead at 9 under par to fall to 7 under with a par on 18. He finished a single stroke shy of joining the playoff.

Ernst bettered Lynn to win with a textbook par on the first playoff hole, the par 4 on 18, after Lynn left himself 2 meters for a bogey putt.

'I've never heard of him,' the defeated Lynn said later. 'He's a nice player.' You can be certain that Lynn and the rest of us will be hearing a lot more of Derek Ernst from now on.