Cryptic crossword clue
Putting in the shade, and winning – male, popular leader in golf 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word UPSTAGING

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
U
P
S
T
A
G
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Putting in the shade" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case putting in the shade = upstaging.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

Crossword Answer definitions

UPSTAGING verb
  1. To draw attention away from others, especially on-stage.
  2. To force other actors to face away from the audience by staying upstage.
  3. To treat snobbishly.
  4. To restage (cancer) to a higher stage than that found at last assessment (compare downstage).
UPSTAGING noun
  1. A situation where somebody or something is upstaged.

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