Absurd, improbable, preposterous, unlikely, doubtful.

Pick whichever adjective you’d like.

When a player is 11 strokes back of the lead with one round to go, it’s easy to see how winning a tournament might not be front of mind. It just doesn’t happen.

RELATED:PGA TOUR University

In the history of the PGA TOUR, the largest final-round comeback occurred at the 1999 Open Championship, when Paul Lawrie overcame a 10-shot deficit to pull off one of the more improbable victories in golf history.

While the stage wasn’t quite as grand, the 2019 Players Amateur in Bluffton, South Carolina, delivered a similar ending.

Entering Sunday’s final round, leader Stewart Hagestad – the 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion – showed no signs of slowing down, reaching 21-under through 54 holes at Berkeley Hall Club’s South Course to lead Alex Smalley by five shots. The former University of Southern California golfer opened the week with a course-record 61, and by the final round, it looked like he was going to cruise to victory and earn the event’s annual exemption into the following year’s RBC Heritage, contested 20 minutes down U.S. 278 at famed Harbour Town Golf Links.

Spencer Ralston? He was the guy 11 shots back with 18 holes to play.

Ralston, then a rising junior at the University of Georgia, woke up on that warm July morning facing a huge deficit, and by that afternoon what once seemed impossible became an incredible reality.

“When the day started, never did I think I had a chance of winning,” said Ralston. “I started the day with no expectations, and then that ended up happening.”

“That” was Ralston shooting a final-round 63, including an eagle and eight birdies, to finish 72 holes at 19-under 269.

Throughout Sunday’s round, Chris Haack – Ralston’s coach at the University of Georgia – was getting the play-by-play from rules official and good friend Bob Patton as things began tightening atop the leaderboard.

“When (Ralston) got to 6-under, [Patton] started texting me,” said Haack. “He told me that he got to 7-under, and then, wow, he made eagle and got to 9-under. It was exciting and crazy all at the same time.”

Imagine how Ralston was feeling.

Finishing his round six groups ahead of Hagestad’s final pairing, Ralston found a seat in the clubhouse with some other players who were eating lunch and watching Wimbledon on TV. Unbeknownst to him, he was the clubhouse leader. With Hagestad taking a step back on Sunday, including three bogeys in his first 16 holes and a 1-over-par round to that point, Ralston realized he suddenly had a chance to win the tournament.

“I knew I played a good round but hadn’t looked at the leaderboard. One of the rules officials told me to grab something quick (to eat) and to warm up because I was only one or two strokes back,” said Ralston. That’s when he realized where he stood and that there was the real possibility for a playoff.

A rules official joined Ralston on the driving range and kept him in the loop via radio communication about what was happening on the course. As the Bulldog standout tried to maintain focus, he learned that a Hagestad bogey on hole No. 17 meant the duo was tied at the top of the leaderboard.

Preparing for a potential playoff, it didn’t cross Ralston’s mind that on top of the Players Amateur title – and what was looking like a possible once-in-a-lifetime comeback – a win would also mean an invitation to his first PGA TOUR event.

“I knew an exemption into the RBC Heritage was on the line at the start of the week,” said the Bulldogs’ team captain. “But on that day, because I didn’t really think I had a chance of winning, it never really crossed my mind.”

With Hagestad on the 18th green, Ralston multi-tasked, warming up while anxiously awaiting word from the rules official at the scene.

“Three-putt,” Ralston heard, and that’s when he knew the victory was his. Hagestad had bogeyed three of his final six holes, shooting a final-round 75. All Ralston could do was turn around and hug his cousin and caddie, Sims Griffith.

“That was a really cool moment that I will never forget,” said Ralston. “One of my goals is to play on the PGA TOUR, and I haven’t played in an event yet, so that is the next step. It felt like a big achievement to get that opportunity as an amateur.”

“We’ll see you in April at the Heritage,” the rules official said to Ralston on his way back to the clubhouse.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the PGA TOUR’s event cancelations and rescheduling, Ralston’s debut on golf’s biggest stage was put on hold for two months as the 2020 RBC Heritage moved from April 16-19 to June 18-21. While the look may be a little bit different this week and the heat a bit more palpable, you won’t hear Ralston making any complaints now that he’s on Hilton Head Island preparing for Thursday’s opening round.

“I stayed in touch with Mr. Wilmot, the Tournament Director here and at the Players Am,” said Ralston, who took a five-week break from golf when the country began to shut down in March. “It was looking like it wasn’t going to happen until next year, so we were talking about that, but when it got rescheduled, he contacted me, and I was grateful he still honored the exemption.”

Ralston is yet another rising star who has honed his game in Athens while leading one of the nation’s top collegiate programs. The Gainesville, Georgia, native earned honorable mention “All-American” awards as a sophomore and junior and is currently ranked No. 39 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

“Every time a guy has a chance to play in a PGA TOUR event, it’s a big deal and stepping stone to see what it’s like at the next level,” said Haack, who has coached nine Bulldogs who have gone on to win PGA TOUR events, including the likes of Bubba Watson, Brian Harman, Harris English and Chris Kirk.

With the NCAA extending eligibility for 2020 seniors following the cancelation of the spring season, Ralston plans to return to UGA in the fall, which will also allow him to compete for 2021 Korn Ferry or International Tour eligibility as part of the recently announced PGA TOUR University program.

The long-awaited collegiate path to the PGA TOUR was launched on June 1, and will award the top 15, four-year players exempt status on the Korn Ferry Tour (Nos. 1-5) or one of the International Tours (Nos. 6-15) following the conclusion of the annual NCAA Championship.

“Once they said we had another year of eligibility, I decided I would go back to school another year and I’m looking forward to that,” said Ralston. “I talked to my coaches about PGA TOUR University and they’ve offered some good details. I know a few of our guys will have a shot at that next year.”

The PGA TOUR University Ranking List will rank the top college players on the basis of their average performance in counting events on a rolling cycle over the previous 104 weeks. Events which will count towards the ranking include NCAA Division I Men’s Golf events and official PGA TOUR events, including the Masters, U.S. Open and The Open Championship.

“I think it’s a good opportunity to give players right out of school who are competitive a chance to make a name for themselves and have some opportunities,” he said. “Everything is starting to work out and I’m excited for next year.”