Chad Cantwell has given younger brother Chris countless advice on golf courses, but never anything like Sunday.

Who knows what would have happened had Chad not been there for Chris on the 54th hole of the 57th Men’s County Open at The Club at Strawberry Creek.

Chris took the advice to heart and mind, making a birdie to get into a playoff with Chad, them coming right back on the first hole of a sudden death playoff and doing it again to beat him to end a drama unlikely surpassed in the history of the event.

Chris Cantwell, 27, shot a final-round 70, the low round of the day on the rolling, wind-swept 6,658-yard layout. The round included a bogey-free, 2-under par 34 on the front nine and a par-36 on the back. He had two birdies on the front and three more on the back.

Chad Cantwell, 32, who had a four-shot lead over Chris entering the final round, battled his driver — “I had the blocks,” he said — and shot 74.

Six-time champ Todd Schaap, the third member of the final foursome, shot 74 (37-37) to finish seven back at 218 and alone in third. Rick Elsen, the other member of the last group, shot 80 and placed in a three-way tie for eighth at 226.

There was never serious doubt the championship would go to a Cantwell.

“I couldn’t mount a charge,” said Schaap, seven shots back at the start of the day. “But it was fun watching those guys (the Cantwells).”

You had to see it to believe it, but it was easy to walk away wondering if you could believe what you just saw.

Chris pulled even with Chad on 10, and looked on the par-4, 290-yard 17th as if he would get the lead when Chad’s poor drive led to a bogey. Chris’ eagle chip from about 20 yards hit the cup and stopped about 4 feet above the hole. As he addressed the birdie putt, the ball moved without contact from the putter. Chris backed off, knowing he had to assess himself a one-shot penalty. He tried to regain his composure, but hit the par putt 2 feet past the hole and made bogey.

“That’s a situation where it happens more in golf than people realize,” Chris said. “It’s hard. There’s no police out here. And it’s my duty and responsibility to call myself on it when I have to. I did.”

Chad, finishing the hole before Chris and miffed at making bogey, did not see what took place and did not find out until the group got the 18th tee.

After they they both hit tee shots into the fairway, the big brother in Chad him took precedence over the competitor.

“I said, ‘You’ve been kicking my butt all over the course all day long,’ ” Chad said. “ ‘Hit a wedge up there and knock in the putt.’ I said, ‘Let’s go play some more golf. Let’s play a couple extra holes.’ ”

Chris’ wedge to a very difficult front hole location was left and he had a 25- to 30-foot downhill putt for birdie. Chad’s second shot was further left and settled 60 feet from the hole. There was also a ridge to navigate, and the putt would pick up steam heading toward the hole.

Chad’s stayed left. He had about nine feet left for a par.

If Chris missed, Chad could two-putt to win the title. Chris rolled it in before maybe a dozen people, including former Bear Jay Hilgenberg, one of the owners of the impressive layout.

“You give me a boatload of putts to do that from there again on 18 and I might not get that,” Chris said.

With a ton of pressure on Chad, he made his par putt, and it was back to the 18th tee for the first payoff hole.

Chris hit his drive to the right of the fairway and had an excellent angle to the pin. Chad’s drive landed in a fairway bunker, and his second shot hit the top of a mound at the top of the bunker. Chad sailed his third shot over the green, and Chris’ wedge stopped 5 feet from the cup. Chad made an incredible bogey after his ball was found beyond a small creek and resting on some mesh laid over the ground. He chipped to about 18 feet and made the putt, then watched Chris roll in the birdie putt for the victory.

“He’s always wanted to beat me in the County Open,” Chad said. “He deserves it.”

Chris caught Chad at 10 to start the drama, then hit his drive on the par-5 11th out of bounds and his fourth shot into a lateral water hazard. He took a seven to fall two behind but caught up when he birdied the par-3 12th and Chad bogeyed.

Chad eagled the par-5 14th by holing a 70-foot bunker shot, but Chris sank a downhill, 8-foot birdie putt to drop just one shot on the hole.

Chris fell two back when he bogeyed the par-3 15th, but got the shot back when he birdied the par-4 16th.

All that was nothing compared to what was to come.

“I haven’t won anything in a while,” Chris said. “The last memorable golf moments I had were probably in the State Tournament in high school and some good finishes in the State Am.

“Every year I have expectations to come in and try to win. This year, I hadn’t been practicing and playing as much as I normally would, and I didn’t have any expectations coming in. And that figures, I guess.”

A Flight

Jamie Karow, 34, had three birdies as he rallied from a five-shot deficit, shooting 78 (38-40) to finish at 239. He won by four shots over Robert Garren, 49.

Karow had a double-bogey six on the first hole, but had six pars, a bogey and a birdie (on the par-3 fourth) for his 38 on the front nine. He birdied the par-4 10th and 17th to fight back from a double-bogey five on 12 and triple-bogey eight on 14.

Garren, playing a group ahead of Karow, shot 81 (40-41).

Kelly Muzzy, 40, who led entering the final round, shot 88 (46-42).

B Flight

Gerry Sentieri, 61, made bogey on the par-4 ninth hole to beat Jeremy Reeves, 31, in a sudden death playoff after both players shot 87 to tie at 263.

Reeves (43-44) picked up a shot on both the 17th (birdie) and 18th (bogey) to get into the playoff. Sentieri (45-42) had eight pars, seven bogeys, two double bogeys and took an 8 on the par-4 fifth, the third-hardest hole on the course.