Less than a month shy of turning 40, Ryan Armour finally got his breakthrough win, capturing the Web.com Tour's Panama Claro Championship on Sunday. It was the journeyman's first professional victory -- a stat that would undoubtedly surprise those who remember his junior career.
That's because 22 years ago, Armour was a hotshot from Ohio, and he was poised to win the 1993 U.S. Junior when he was 2 up with two holes to play. Then, Tiger Woods happened.
Woods, the two-time defending champion, birdied the 17th and 18th holes at Waverley Country Club to pull even before winning an unprecedented third straight title with a par on the first playoff hole.
"I'm heartbroken," said a 17-year-old Armour at the time.
Woods, who was also 17 at the time, called his two clutch birdies "the best two holes of my life."
Of course, Woods went on to have just a few more memorable holes, while Armour has spent the last two decades bouncing around various pro tours, including three mostly fruitless seasons on the PGA Tour.
“It just proves that if you keep grinding and keep working, believing in the process … the process will get you there," Armour told PGATour.com's Kevin Prise after his win.
“I don’t think you can do what we do and not believe in yourself,” he added.
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