Almost two years after his infamous Sunday collapse at Atlanta Athletic Club, former Tiger golfer and current Auburn resident Jason Dufner has gotten his hands on the PGA Championship.
Dufner, who graduated from Auburn in 2000 with a degree in economics, shot an impressive -2 final round on Sunday at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., to claim the final major golf tournament of the 2013 PGA Tour calendar. He finished with a two-shot advantage over runner-up Jim Furyk, who started the day with a one-shot lead.
Dufner is the first former Auburn golfer to ever win a major title.
"It's been a tough day, it's been a long day, and this is a tough golf course," Dufner said at the trophy presentation. "It probably just hasn't hit me yet. Can't believe this is happening to me...it's a great feeling to actually win one of these."
The PGA Championship is the first major title for Dufner, who was an All-American during his time on The Plains. It is also his first Tour win of the season and his third of his career.
Dufner made international headlines earlier in the week with a world-class second round. On Friday, the former Auburn golfer tied the all-time low round record in a major championship with a 63.
After surrendering his lead on Saturday to Furyk, Dufner rallied for four birdies and only two bogeys on Sunday. His -3 score on the front nine gave him a multi-shot lead over Furyk, and he held steady on the back nine for the victory.
"I decided that I was going to be confident and really put my best foot forward, be aggressive and try to win this thing," Dufner said afterwards.
His incredible weekend at Oak Hill comes close to the second anniversary of the most gut-wrenching round of his career. With a five-shot lead with just four holes to play at the 2011 PGA Championship, Dufner bogeyed three straight holes as Keegan Bradley rallied to force a playoff, which Dufner would lose.
But on Sunday, down by a stroke at the opening tee, Dufner's ball striking and clutch putting led him to the famous Wanamaker Trophy.
Dufner lists Auburn as his hometown and describes himself on his Twitter profile as a "PGA TOUR pro and avid Auburn University fan." He and his wife Amanda have made child hunger in Lee County a priority in their charitable foundation, which supports several feeding programs in the area.
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