Jason Dufner, who played golf at Auburn from 1997-2000, captured his fourth PGA Tour victory on Sunday at the CareerBuilder Challenge in La Quinta, California.
He held on to win on the second playoff hole at PGA West TPC Stadium Course despite a Sunday charge by David Lingmerth, who led all players with a final-round 65.
Dufner, who won three tournaments in his four years at Auburn under longtime coach Mike Griffin, jumped out to a quick lead on the first day of the tournament, carding an 8-under 64 on Thursday. He followed up the strong performance with two more solid days, recording a 65 and 64 on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Dufner suffered his worst day of the tournament at the worst possible time.
He carded a 2-under 70 in the final round, but a par save from the rocks on 17 proved to be crucial, as it kept him tied with Lingmerth and eventually forced a playoff.
Both players held par on the first playoff hole, but Lingmerth found water on his second shot on the second playoff hole, allowing Dufner to capture the win with a par.
The win gave Dufner his first Tour victory since 2013, when he became the only Auburn player to ever win a major with his victory at the PGA Championship.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.