Anthony Quayle’s bid for one of the greatest comebacks in Australian professional golf history fell agonisingly short as Cory Crawford won the Victorian PGA after an American rival unbelievably missed a three-footer to force a playoff.

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Quayle, who was docked seven shots for accidentally playing from preferred lies during his first round when they were only in place for a section of one hole, hauled himself to within one stroke of the lead during the final day at Moonah Links.

But fellow Queenslander Crawford was steadiest down the stretch and drained a clutch 15-foot birdie putt on the last hole to beat American Tyler McCumber in dramatic fashion.

McCumber, whose putting was near faultless all day, missed a short roller for birdie on the 72nd hole which left onlookers stunned.

If not for his “rookie mistake”, Quayle would have been a runaway winner of the tournament after the world No. 617 regrouped and played some scintillating golf.

He pulled himself up for a misunderstanding on Thursday when he thought all areas of the course were liable to lift, clean and place.

The drama created worldwide headlines as the 30-year-old clawed his way back into the tournament, and then zeroed in on what would have been one of the most bizarre victories.

But back-to-back bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes during his final round cruelled any chance of taking home the Jack Harris Cup, with a subsequent birdie putt on 17 also lipping out.

Quayle finished at 12-under for the tournament after a closing three-under 69, two shots behind Crawford (-14), who carded 68.

McCumber (-13), whose world ranking has slipped beyond 4000 after a series of hip and shoulder surgeries in the past two years, will play on the PGA Tour under a medical exemption in 2025.

He’s been staying in Australia and working with former Australian rules footballer Brett Stephens, who is best known for helping guide tennis ace Pete Sampras throughout his career.

Stephens works with elite athletes on mental and physical areas across a variety of sports.

McCumber will also be ruing his luck after a long birdie putt lipped out on the 16th hole, but almost stole the victory with a walk-off chip on the 18th for eagle which flirted with going in.

But what happened next was almost unfathomable.

As Crawford retreated to the nearby range to ready for a playoff, McCumber stood over what seemed a simple short birdie putt before it clipped the edge of the hole and stayed out.

McCumber was playing alongside Quayle in the first round when the preferred lies saga started, and also penalised himself two strokes for moving his ball once.

It was Crawford’s first professional win since the 2017 PNG Open, when he survived a six-hole playoff after a torrid stretch of form leading into the tournament. He’d missed eight of his previous nine cuts.

Crawford’s career has been slowed by a fractured back since and he’d showed similar indifferent form before the Victorian PGA, missing the cut at both the Australian PGA and Australian Open.

“It’s really hard to put into words,” Crawford said. “It’s tough to say what it means right now, but to be standing here is pretty special. I’ve basically been living day by day for three to four months trying to figure things out.

“I was feeling good. Obviously late I started realising it was getting pretty tight and I was in with a shot. I just hit really good putts when I needed to, which is a great feeling.”

Overnight leaders Jason Hong (-11) and Jye Pickin (-9) struggled in the final round as they posted 73 and 75 respectively.