Four days after he feared a wrist injury might keep him out, Padraig Harrington is celebrating back-to-back British Open glories.
This time it came in a stylish four-stroke victory without the agonies of 12 months ago when he double-bogeyed the last and had to go into a play-off with Sergio Garcia.
Instead, on a Royal Birkdale course with winds that tested everybody to the limit, two birdies and an eagle in the last six holes made Harrington the first European to make a successful defence of the Claret Jug since James Braid in 1906.
He can also now call himself the first Irishman ever to win two majors - and the world number three.
Ian Poulter had made a terrific late bid - he covered the last 10 holes in three under - to almost become Britain's first major champion since Paul Lawrie in 1999.
But, having been caught, Harrington went into overdrive with birdies on the 13th and 15th before hitting a glorious second to four feet on the downwind 572-yard 17th that effectively clinched victory.
Since the Second World War the only men to have retained the title are Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson (three in a row), Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods.
All the pre-tournament talk was around Woods' absence, but even if he had been present he might have struggled to beat Harrington's three-over par total of 283.
A closing one-under 69 gave the 36-year-old Dubliner his commanding win over Poulter - comfortably his best-ever performance in a major - with Greg Norman and Henrik Stenson third.
Norman, the 53-year-old 54-hole leader had set out with the dream of becoming the oldest winner in major history.
He lost the lead with a terrible start, got it back by the turn, but was chasing a losing battle when he bogeyed the 13th and 14th.
When he pauses to think about it, however, he will no doubt realise that third place was still phenomenal.
Norman, a part-time golfer these days, had unquestionably left his mark on the week, though, and had captured the imagination of the sporting world by doing what he had on the opening three days.
It was the eighth time he had taken a lead into the final day of a major, but the first since that unforgettable round at Augusta in 1996 when, six clear, he collapsed to a 78 and Nick Faldo pounced with a 67 to win by five.
Kiwi Michael Campbell closed his solid week's work with a 74, finishing in a tie for 51st at 17-over 297.