Alabama golfer Cory Whitsett won the 37th Annual Western Refining Sun Bowl All-America Golf Classic after a three hole playoff Tuesday at the El Paso Country Club. (Mark Lambie/El Paso Times)

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The drama appeared to be almost dripping off every backswing, each follow through — shot after shot after shot as Cory Whitsett, Jace Long and Todd Baek charged down fairway after fairway, heading for the ultimate drama spot on any golf course, the 18th green.

But on this incredible sun-swept November day, 18 holes were hardly enough. It took 19, then 20 and, finally, on the 21st hole — the third sudden-death playoff hole and, fittingly enough, back on that 18th green — Whitsett rolled home a beautifully-kissed 25-foot putt to claim victory in this star-studded 37th annual Western Refining Sun Bowl All-America Golf Classic at El Paso Country Club.

“This was fun, it was exciting,” said Whitsett, a sophomore from the University of Alabama. “I haven’t been in that situation in a long time. I told my dad last night that I was really looking forward to this, that I was just going to try and enjoy this É enjoy the moment.”

Clearly, he did.

Dylan Fritelli of Texas went to bed Monday night with a one-shot lead on this field of 27 All-Americans. However, Tuesday was never Fritelli’s day and he faded out of the championship chase on the front nine. Long, a junior at the University of Missouri, was just one shot back

starting the day. He took a big lead early, expanding that cushion to three shots when Whitsett double bogeyed the par-three 12th hole.

Long was walking to the 13th tee box at 8 under for the tournament, while Whitsett had dropped to just 5 under. Quietly, in the group just ahead of them, Baek, a sophomore at San Diego State, was mounting his own charge.

Whitsett drove it over the ditch on 13, powered onto the green in two and then two-putted for birdie, moving to within two shots of Long. The Missouri golfer left his approach short, punched on and two-putted to bogey 14 and Whitsett was just one shot back. The duo parred the short par-four 15th hole and Baek made birdie ahead of them, leaving him tied with Long at 7-under par É with Whitsett a heartbeat back.

Baek then hit his drive 50 yards from the green on 16, hit a wedge to three feet, made birdie and headed for 17 at 8-under par, one shot clear of Long. Whitsett then put his name among the leaders with a beautiful 30-foot downhill putt for birdie on 16. He just touched the ball and it trickled toward the hole, seemingly trickling forever until it disappeared into the bottom of the cup.

“I just let it roll and it went in,” Whitsett said. “That was big. I just made a bad swing with a 7-iron on 12. It was hard after that. When you make a swing like that, you start to see things you didn’t see before. But I was able to come back with birdie on 13 and make that big putt on 16.”

Long let it be known he was not out of this mix yet, making birdie on 17 to scramble back to 7-under par.

“I hit a good drive, hit a wedge to five feet,” said Long, who is from Dixon, Mo.

And then came the 18th hole (for the first time) and it was a fateful moment for Baek, who is from Auckland, New Zealand. With the tournament his for the taking, he hit his second shot just long, into the short grass behind the green. He opened his club face, preparing to hit a flop shot. Unfortunately, he decelerated the club dramatically, dumping the shot only about 10 feet in front of him. He then made up-and-down for bogey, leaving him tied with the twosome behind him at 7 under.

After a pair of pars, they began the sudden-death playoff. Unfortunately for Baek, they began on that fateful 18th hole. He pulled his drive just a smidgen, leaving him a little too close to the old tree that guards that side of the fairway. He clipped some tree limbs, came up short and then chipped his third shot to within three feet. But, after Whitsett and Long drained 10-foot birdie putts, Baek’s day was done.

Whitsett and Long moved to No. 1 for the second playoff hole. A pair of pars later, they moved back to 18 for a third playoff hole. Long ran his short chip for birdie about five feet by and Whitsett rolled his putt into the dark at the bottom of the cup.

“This means a lot to me,” said Whitsett, who is from Houston. “I didn’t play that well this fall and I didn’t have a very good summer. This is just an amazing tournament and it’s so much fun and, like I said, this really means a lot to me right now.”

Long could only smile through his disappointment when all as done.

“This was really a fun week,” he said. “I decided before I ever teed off this morning that whatever happened, I was just going to enjoy it. And I did. Cory played great and the whole experience was fun.”

And so, on this incredible day — when the sun was gentle, the wind was on vacation and the golden-leaved trees were fit for a postcard — Whitsett put his name in the annals of this tournament, right there along side Tiger Woods and Davis Love III and Matt Kuchar and Webb Simpson and so many more.

Bill Knight may be reached at bknight@elpasotimes.com; 546-6171.