Patrick Reed ended a frustrating run when he survived two late bogeys to clinch a one-stroke victory at The Barclays on Sunday.
Reed carded a closing 70 to finish on nine-under 275 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale on New York’s Long Island.
Fellow American Sean O’Hair (66) and Argentine Emiliano Grillo (69) were joint-second on eight-under.
Reed’s victory was his fifth PGA tour title and first in 19 months.
It also secured a spot on the United States team for next month’s Ryder Cup.
He also vaulted to the top of the FedEx Cup points list after the first of the four play-off events.
Reed was delighted with his win but acknowledged his game needed work after he recorded bogeys at the 16th and 18th holes.
He nearly bogeyed the 17th as well, sinking a six-footer for par to preserve a two-shot lead going to the last.
“I have worked pretty hard with my coach for the past couple of weeks,” the 26-year-old said in a greenside interview.
“The game shows I’m moving in the right direction but there are some things I need to work on.”
Reed later said that short stretches of poor play had cost him several chances to win in recent times, but the difference on Sunday was that he had a cushion coming down the stretch.
“It’s been... frustrating, because I can easily just pinpoint through almost every event a three-hole or a nine-hole or a couple shots here or there that cost me, instead of finishing 10th or seventh or fifth into a W.
“As the pressure started building there coming down 15, really 14, I just had a couple loose iron shots, a couple loose tee shots, that kind of cost me.
“You know, to build yourself a lead to come down the last couple was huge, especially around a place like this, because those last holes are just so difficult.”
Joint runner-up Grillo, who finished tied for 13th at the PGA Championship at Baltusrol last month, had thought pre-tournament that seven-under would have a chance of winning on a public course that bears a warning sign that it is “only for highly skilled players”.
He finished eight-under, but came up just short.
“It wasn’t a US Open but it was almost like one,” he said of the tough layout.