Twenty year old Tom Lewis today became the first amateur to lead The Open Championship since Michael Bonallack in 1968 after a sparkling 65 at Sandwich.
Winner of the British boys title on the course two years ago and from the same Welwyn Garden City club that produced Sir Nick Faldo, Lewis was alongside Dane Thomas Björn - the man who missed out on the 2003 Open at the venue after leading by three with four to play.
On a day when runaway US Open winner Rory McIlroy and World Number One Luke Donald had to work really hard for 71s, there was more to it than just a popular golfer rising to the top at a venue that brought him such heartache.
The 40 year old Dane was the sixth reserve for the event nine days ago and knew he was playing only late on Monday when Vijay Singh - joint runner-up with him eight years ago - withdrew.
But there was even more to it than that.
Björn lost his father Ole, the man he always turned to when things were going wrong either in his golf or his personal life, after a long illness two months ago.
He is still grieving and it was too much for him when his passing was mentioned at his post-round press conference.
"He meant a lot to me," said Björn before tears started flowing and, after asking for a moment to gather himself again, he added: "He would have been very proud of what I did today. That's all I've really got to say."
This is Björn's first trip to Royal St George's since he stood four under par with four to play and finished bogey, double bogey, bogey, par to lose by one to shock winner Ben Curtis.
If he had played as he did this morning over the same stretch he would have won by four.
Off at 7.25am - "this is about the only Championship where I look forward to a tee time before eight," he joked - Björn reached three under after eight holes before missing a two foot par putt at the next.
Far from it leading to a downward spiral, however, he came back with another birdie at the 11th and had three more in a row starting at the long 14th.
On the short 16th, the hole where he needed three attempts to get out of a bunker eight years ago, he gave a sigh of relief and then a big smile when his tee shot not only avoided trouble, but kicked off a bank to eight feet.
Björn insisted he stayed in the moment all day rather than thinking back - not just to the last day, but also the opening day when he took eight on the 17th after being penalised for hitting the sand before he was out of it.
This time he parred it, but at the last he chose to chip rather than putt from just left of the green, struck it too hard and bogeyed.
"A lot of people have asked me what I feel about the 2003 Open," he added.
"It's in the past. I always look ahead - I'm 40 years old and there might just be a little bit more in me."
McIlroy, trying to be the youngest Open Champion since 1893 just a month after he was the youngest US Open Champion since 1923, had his mind mostly on what he was doing, of course.
But after coming back from two over after three the 22 year old commented: "On the 11th tee we're like 'What is he doing? How is he six under par?' Fantastic - great to see him doing well.
"It would be a great story if he could get himself into contention again going into Sunday."
Björn was in a play-off just a week after his Open heartbreak, but a year later walked away from the game for a while after revealing he was "fighting demons".
He has won four times since his return, most recently in Qatar in February, and was a runner-up in the 2005 US PGA championship, where he equalled the Major record with his third round 63.
Donald, clear winner of the Barclays Scottish Open last Sunday, mixed three birdies with four bogeys, while Lee Westwood, third and second the last two years, left himself with catching up to do as well after a hat-trick of bogeys from the third.
With six to play he was still three over, with Björn leading by one from 46 year old Spaniard Miguel Angel Jiménez.
English amateur star Tom Lewis, who took the British boys title at the links, was inspired playing with 61 year old Tom Watson like Matteo Manassero was when Watson came second at Turnberry two years ago.
Lewis, 20 and from the same Welwyn Garden City club as Sir Nick Faldo, turned in a three under 32 to be in third place before bogeying the short 11th.
Jiménez was joined when 2009 US Open Champion Lucas Glover birdied the last three holes, while Lewis was back to two under - alongside Darren Clarke among others - when he birdied the long 14th.
Westwood also made four there and with a 20 footer at the next had recovered to one over.
Lewis was already having a day to remember, but it got even better when made it four birdies in a row with a 20 foot putt on the 17th and with that went into the joint lead with Björn.
Westwood finished with a 71 and Graeme McDowell, who opened with a double bogey and stood three over after five, came roaring back to shoot 68.
Lewis just missed the green at the last, but chipped to five feet and holed the par putt to match Björn's 65.
