Davis Love III rolled back the years and became the third oldest winner of a PGA Tour title after an enthralling final day at the Wyndham Championship.
The 51-year-old closed with a stunning six-under 64 which proved enough for a one-shot win and his third victory in the event - 23 years after his first - while Tiger Woods will miss out on the FedExCup Play-Offs after failing to contend for the win he needed to elevate him into the top 125.
Jason Gore had begun the day with a two-shot lead over the field, but he came up agonisingly short as his lengthy birdie putt on the last to match Love's target of 17 under just ran out of steam.
However, Gore's two-putt par earned him outright second and retained his card for next year, while Paul Casey and Charl Schwartzel were a shot further back along with Scott Brown, who upstaged playing partner Woods with a superb hole-in-one at the third.
But the day, and the tournament, belonged to the American Ryder Cup captain, who bogeyed the first before putting together a remarkable run of four birdies and an eagle over the next five holes to vault into the lead.
He gave a shot back at the seventh, but he steadied himself with a run of seven straight pars before knocking a sweet second to 12 feet at the long 15th and rolling in the putt for his second eagle of the round.
Love saved par from nine feet at the next and two cast-iron fours at 17 and 18 gave him the clubhouse lead, while Gore and Brown remained as his two main challengers down the stretch.
Brown and Gore slip back
But Brown bogeyed 12 and 13, and Gore dropped shots at the 13th and 14th before Brown got back to within a shot of the lead with a birdie at 15, only to close with a bogey to post a 68.
Gore then leapt back into contention when he drained a 25-foot putt for eagle at the 15th, but he could not better par at the next two and then mis-hit his approach to the last and left himself 50 feet for birdie.
A three-putt would have cost him a place in The Barclays next week and ended his season, but his resulting par ensured he would be teeing it up on the PGA Tour again in October, while Love was confirmed as the third oldest winner on tour after Sam Snead (1965 Greater Greensboro Open) and Art Wall (1975 Greater Milwaukee Open).
"Any victory now is going to be really sweet when you're over 50," Love told pgatour.com. "To have your name thrown out there with Sam Snead at any point is incredible. For some reason, this tournament has been good to guys in my age group."
Schwartzel birdied three of the last five holes to card a 66 and finish on 15 under, a score matched by Casey when he hit back from bogeys at 11 and 12 with birdies at the 15th and 17th to return a 67.
Brooks Koepka continued his excellent form as he came home in 31 to post a day's-best 65 which got him to 14 under, but Woods was barely a factor as he laboured to a level-par 70 which included a horrific seven at the 11th.
Woods had already lost ground on the leaders after an erratic, outward 35, and his chipping problems returned at 11 when he shanked his first pitch, duffed his second and took three more to get down.
He also bogeyed the next before rebounding with three straight birdies, and another gain at the last hauled him back to where he started the day at 13 under par.
"I gave myself a chance, and I had all the opportunity in the world today to do it," Woods said. "I didn't get it done. I just wasn't able to get any kind of roll early. I had my chances to get it going. I just never did."
Meanwhile, Luke Donald secured his place in the FedExCup Play-offs after a closing 68, but Martin Kaymer missed out by three shots despite a valiant four-under 66.