Dufner claims first PGA win
Associated Press
AVONDALE, La.
Jason Dufner’s recent late-tournament struggles made it easy to understand why a putt under 2 feet on a playoff hole at the Zurich Classic made him more nervous than the thought of getting married next weekend.
“There’s a been a good bit of pressure,” Dufner said. “People talking about, ‘Why aren’t you winning? Why can’t you close the deal?’
“Friends, family, media, even people in my inner circle. And not in a negative way, but when you’re leading tournaments going into weekends and you’re finishing 24th, there’s going to be some questions.”
Not anymore.
Dufner maintained his composure through not one, but two playoff holes against one of the more accomplished veterans in the game Sunday, beating Ernie Els with a birdie on their second extra trip up the par-5 18th to win for the first time in 164 starts on the PGA Tour.
The win should also stamp out some of the bad memories haunting Dufner since the Masters, when he shared the lead after two rounds but faded to 24th. The 35-year-old Dufner also held five previous leads through two rounds — two this year, only to fade down the stretch.
Entering the fourth round with a two-shot lead in New Orleans, Dufner shot a 2-under 70 at TPC Louisiana, while Els had a 67 to match Dufner for a course-record 19-under 269 total.
Both missed birdie putts within 8 feet on the par-5 18th in the first playoff, so they went back to the 18th tee for the second extra hole, which Dufner won by hitting the green in two strokes and tapping home a short birdie putt after Els’ birdie attempt from the fringe narrowly missed.
“It’s always really tough playing on Sundays whether you’re in lead or middle of pack, and today I was fighting, trying to win event, and I think I showed myself a good bit out there,” Dufner said. “It was tough. Ernie made a great run at me and it felt like with five or six holes [to go] we were probably going to be battling for the win.”