PGA Champion Jason Dufner takes win in stride

Jason Dufner appears in need of some assistance from his wife Amanda as he gets to grips with the Wanamaker Trophy. Picture: Getty

Dufner, who is not prone to displays of emotion, allowed himself a sheepish smile and a hesitant double fist bump following a two-shot victory over Jim Furyk.

But he left the real celebrations to the galleries packed around Oak Hill Country Club’s 18th green that watched him clinch the season’s final major two days after he shot a 63, matching the lowest round in any major.

Until Dufner planted a shy kiss on the shiny Wanamaker trophy in the fading sunlight, he was best known as a social media sensation – the inspiration behind the ‘Dufnering’ craze which went viral.

Despite being a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, it was not until last April when golf fans began to take notice of Dufner when he was photographed apparently nodding off as he lay with his back to a wall, arms by his sides and legs stretched out in front of him while visiting grade schoolers to help promote a tournament in Dallas.

Since then, multiple versions of ‘Dufnering’ have been posted by golfers, golf fans and the general public on social media.

“Got some notoriety for maybe something that was probably trying to hurt me a little bit and ran with it and it helped me a lot,” said Dufner. “I got a lot of fans because of it and people identified me through it and that was good.”

Until ‘Dufnering’, the only notoriety Dufner had was for spectacularly blowing a five-shot lead with four holes to play at the 2011 PGA Championship and eventually losing to Keegan Bradley in a play-off.

There would be no repeat of the Atlanta Athletic Club meltdown on a sunny, Sunday at Oak Hill. Playing with cool consistency, Dufner seized the outright lead from Furyk with a birdie on the fifth hole and never faltered, opening up a two-shot cushion at the ninth and holding it through to the finish.

Furyk, bidding to add a PGA Championship to the US Open title he won a decade earlier, was unable to put any pressure on the unflappable Dufner, who went 26 consecutive holes without a bogey before dropping a shot at the 17th.

But Furyk also dropped a shot on the penultimate hole to remain two behind. It was a remarkable display of composure for a man that must surely have lived with the haunting memories, of two years ago when the Wanamaker trophy was within his grasp, only to let slip through his fingers.

“You always carry those scars with you, he (Bradley) always jabbed at me a little bit about having one of these in his house, and thanks for giving it to him and all that stuff,” said Dufner. “And now I’ve got one too.

“It’s pretty neat to come back and win a PGA to be honest with you. My name will always be on this trophy and nobody can take that away from me, so it’s a great accomplishment for me and I’m really excited about it.”

Whether hitting a tee shot into the water, or carding a hole-in-one, Dufner’s demeanour rarely changes.

The biggest victory of Dufner’s career did not send him flying into the air like Phil Mickelson after his first Masters win or a violent fist-pump and scream like Tiger Woods.

While there was no hiding Dufner’s delight at becoming a major winner, he explained his low-key approach is simply because there is not that much to get excited about.

“Big plays in basketball, home runs in baseball, big plays in football; those will get you pumped up,” explained Dufner.

“For me, golf is a little bit more boring I think. It’s pretty matter of fact. I hit it in the fairway or I didn’t; I hit the green or I didn’t.

“Usually I’m struggling with the putter, so there’s not too much to get excited about with that. I made that putt on the first hole, I would say I was pretty flat-lined for most of the day.

“I come across as a pretty cool customer I guess, but there are definitely some nerves out there, especially when you’re trying to win a major championship.”

Furyk has endured his share of agonising close calls at the majors but said he would reflect on a week of positives after finishing second on this occasion.

“I was going to have fun. I have no regrets. I played my heart out,” Furyk said after duelling with Dufner for the lead over the first nine holes before being effectively shut out after the turn.

“I played a very, very solid tournament. If I could go back, I would love to make par on 17 and 18 and put some heat on him and I wasn’t able to do that.”

Dufner, whose approach play was in top order, held a two-shot lead after he and Furyk had birdied the par-four 16th and they both went bogey-bogey over the notoriously difficult finish at Oak Hill’s East Course.

“That’s the one thing, it’s a little bit of a thorn in my side, but he played well,” said Furyk, who had been seeking to add a second major title to his 2003 US Open victory.

A triple bogey may have crushed any remaining chance Rory McIlroy had of defending his title but the Northern Irishman, who has battled all season, remained hopeful he could end the year on a high.

As McIlroy’s reign ended he chose to look on the bright side of a sometimes dim week, signing off with a level par 70 to finish in a tie for eighth, seven shots back of Dufner.

“I saw a lot of great signs out there today,” said McIlroy. “Hopefully I can just bring that through to the next few weeks and have a strong finish to the season.”

Struggling through a season that has had more downs than ups after switching his club brand to Nike in a lucrative deal reported to be worth $250 million, McIlroy displayed plenty of fighting spirit during a rollercoaster week. McIlroy, who coasted to victory by a record eight strokes in last year’s PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, had not given up on his title bid this week, even after flirting with the cutline during the second round.

After playing his way back into title hunt with a 67 on Saturday, McIlroy effectively sank his title defence when he hit his second shot at the par-four fifth into water en route to a triple-bogey before hitting back with three birdies to finish on three under for the tournament.

“I actually didn’t hit a bad shot, pitched it just in the place where you can’t pitch it I guess,” said McIlroy.

“If I had of been a few feet right or a few feet left, it would have been fine, but just pitched in that difficult depression and came back into the water. I really didn’t hit a bad shot, but obviously it was disappointing. Came back okay at the end.”

The 24-year-old, who has been desperately searching for form is convinced he saw evidence that he was close to getting back to his best. “I played the best golf of the week today. I hit some really good drives and really good iron shots,” enthused McIlroy.

“Didn’t quite putt as well as I did the first three days, but really, really happy with my game going into the next few weeks. I didn’t hit many bad shots out there today.”