American Jason Dufner carded a strong fourth round 68 to claim the 95th PGA Championship as well as setting a 72 hole course record around Oak Hill.
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Dufner played fantastically off of the tees. |
While the men around him failed to get to grips with the tricky Oak Hill Course, Dufner excelled, carding a three under 32 on the front nine. Despite bogeying the final two holes, his consistent driving and wedge play throughout the day meant that Dufner was able to maintain the two shot lead he had going into the last two. The win will mean more for Dufner after he lost a play-off to close friend Keegan Bradley in the same tournament two years previously.
As well as setting a 72 hole course record ten under par, he also scored the 18 hole course record of 63 on friday, an instrumental factor in his victory. Dufner showed great nerve throughout the whole of his final round, wielding the putter well compared to Saturday where he looked unsteady. It was his consistent driving and fantastic wedge play that set him apart from the rest of the front runners and there is no doubt that Dufner earned his win this weekend.
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So close but so far for Furyk. |
Although Jim Furyk put up a strong fight he was never able to challenge Dufner after the front nine. Furyk had a poor day off of the tee, meaning he wasn't able to truly test Dufner. Eventually, Furyk finished two behind Dufner, shooting a 71 for the day, suggesting that nerves got the better off him after leading overnight.
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Blixt enjoyed being in the picture. |
Behind Furyk on seven under par was the the in form Henrik Stenson, the Swede still searching for his first major. His form in recent weeks and at Oak Hill has rightly shot him into the top ten in the World. He was followed by fellow Swede Jonas Blixt, one shot further back. The 29 year old showed he can play on the big stage as he ended the tournament fourth.
The big mover on the day was Scott Piercy who shot a 65, the best round of the day, catapulting him up the leaderboard to fifth place and shooting eight birdies on the day. He was joined there by Masters Champion Adam Scott who was unable to string together a strong enough round to really challenge the leaders. Nevertheless, it's another top 10 finish for one of the hottest prospects in golf.
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The wait goes on for Woods' 15th. |
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, the pre-tournament favorites, both slipped away as the week went on. Tiger had a fairly consistent week with the main issue being that he was consistently a few shots over par, finishing the tournament four over. Mickelson shot a disastrous 78 on the Saturday leaving him way off the pace at 12 over par.
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Rory gets back on track |
What of the Brits playing in the Championship? Well it was great to see Rory McIlroy back towards the top of the Leaderboard, after finishing tied 8th. McIlroy showed signs he was overcoming his psychological issues of recent times as he played some solid golf. His Northern Irish compatriot was a further one shot back on two under par along with Scotsman Marc Warren, who recovered from a four over first round to also end on two under par.
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Jason Dufner almost cracks a smile as he wins his first major |
The highest Englishman was David Lynn on even par, a good achievement to top off a strong year. Paul Casey showed signs he was continuing his comeback from injury with a three over par for the tournament alongside Justin Rose and Lee Westwood. It was a tournament of what-ifs for Rose and Westwood who were both in the mix at some point but struggled for consistency over the four days.
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