Australian Aaron Baddeley wins for the first time in a while as he dominates the Northern Trust Open.

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Aaron Baddeley, 29, won his first PGA tour title in 4 years at the Northern Trust Open in California this weekend. Baddeley, an Austrailian native, finished 12 under par with a total score of 272 at Riviera Country Club. His new world ranking is 73rd–down from 224th. His win netted $1.17 million.

Baddeley has always been a personal favorite of mine since watching him extensively during a trip to Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Classic. At the time, he was a up and coming young phenomenon who had worked extensively with Greg Norman to fine point his game. Sunday, his hard work paid off.

The back 9 was especially interesting to watch on Sunday. Players were missing putts within 5 feet and missing fairways off the tee with some regularity. It humanized the PGA to some extent. Too often, fans and media criticize players because we become greedy with how talented professional athletes are. The moment they make a mistake or fail to do something amazing–we are quick to jump on them.

Baddeley could have easily coughed up the tournament but he maintained his composure and ferociously battled his way to victory.