It would be hard to top the Sunday-to-Sunday run strung together by Germany's Benedikt Duda (pictured, right). On Sunday, May 16, Duda upset top-seeded Kanak Jha of the USA to win the Düsseldorf Masters tournament, the fifth installment of a seven-tournament season. While this was certainly a tremendous accomplishment, it was only the beginning of a stellar week for the 27-year-old left-hander. On Wednesday, May 19, Duda upgraded from transitory glory to immortality when he was named a member of Germany's 2020 Olympic team. "The Olympic Games are a special event," the hopeful Duda said in a 2019 interview. "Only the best can qualify there and fight for a medal." On Sunday, May 23, 50-year-old Phil "Lefty" Mickelson claimed the PGA Championship to become the oldest golfer to win a major tournament. It proved to be a good day for lefties on both sides of the pond. In the Düsseldorf Masters final, Duda dramatically defeated Sweden's Anton Källberg (pictured, left), 3-2. Down 4-6 in the fifth, Duda went on a stunning 7-1 run to seal the deal. Awarded 50 points for the win, Duda moves from third to second place in the season-long points standings, a mere 10 behind his compatriot Cedric Meissner. With one week to go, Duda now controls his own destiny, needing only to finish ahead of Meissner in the seventh and final tournament to finish the season on top. After years of playing in the shadows of German legends Timo Boll, Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Patrick Franziska, Benedikt Duda will now join them to form a serious medal threat in Tokyo. His dues amply paid, Duda is finally stepping into his own richly deserved spotlight. "If you can adapt to every situation in your sport," he mused, "who can stop you to become one of the greatest?" Although it was a rhetorical question, the answer still deserves attention: no one, that's who. The Duda abides.

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