Jason Dufner claims first major title with PGA Championship win

Jason Dufner finished bogey-bogey on the two most difficult holes on the Oak Hill Country Club course near Rochester, N.Y., and that was good enough to claim his first major title with a victory in the PGA Championship on Sunday.

Dufner shot a final round two-under-par 68 to finish two shots ahead of Jim Furyk, who shot a final-round 71. Dufner, who received a huge hug from his wife, Amanda, as well as a hug from Keegan Bradley, had a four-day total of 10-under 270 in the season’s final major.

Furyk, 43, made things less tense for Dufner. On the 17th, Furyk left his third shot in the rough and ended up with a bogey to give Dufner a breathe-a-little-easier two-shot lead going into the final hole.

Two years ago in Atlanta, the 36-year-old Dufner had blown a four-shot lead with four holes to play and Bradley ended up winning the same title.

“It’s been a tough day, a long day, it probably hasn’t hit me yet,” said Dufner, who set a 72-hole scoring record in a major. “To come back from a couple of years ago when I lost to Keegan, it hasn’t hit me. Today, I decided to be confident. I wasn’t going to play scared or soft. This is a big step in my career.”

Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, who finished second to Phil Mickelson at the British Open last month, finished third and another Swede, Jonas Blixt, was fourth.

“I played a solid round of golf, I really did,” Furyk said. “Felt like I struck ball really well but not making birdie at 13 with a wedge in my hand, not making a birdie at 14 with a wedge in my hand was the difference.”

On the par-three 15th hole, Furyk’s drive was about 60 feet from the hole, and his putt left him about eight feet for par. Dufner was just off the green and used a three-wood to bump and run the ball to within a foot.

Furyk rehearsed and stepped away three times from the par putt he knew he needed to stay in contention. He shuffled his feet and put the ball in the middle of the cup. There was even a little fist pump from the usally unemotional Furyk, with the par keeping him two shots behind Dufner, who also made his par.

Stenson also parred the 16th hole to stay three behind Dufner, but with the final two holes ranked as two of the hardest on the course, it seemed only Furyk had a chance, however small, to catch Dufner.

Dufner had a fine drive on the 16th, showing no sign of nerves.

After Furyk’s drive at No. 16, when some loudmouths who had been shouting all day after players hit off the tee, yelled again, Furyk wagged his finger at them, as an angry dad might.

His second shot left him with about a 12-foot birdie putt, but Dufner was even better. His ball stopped a foot from the cup, just about guaranteeing him a birdie. Furyk was now going to need the 12-footer just to stay two shots behind Dufner with two holes left.

As expected, Furyk stepped away from his putt three times. Talking to himself and to his caddie. Furyk circled the ball as if he wanted to dance with it, then he hit it. Into the center of the cup.

Then in about 10 seconds, Dufner tapped in his birdie putt to go to 12-under. Furyk was 10-under, and there were now only two holes to play.

Tying for fifth were Scott Piercy, who had a 65, and Adam Scott (70) at 5-under, with David Toms (67) seventh at 4-under.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy, who began the day at 3-under six shots off the pace, had an even-par 70 to finish tied for eighth with a stellar group that included Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson and Australian Jason Day.

Notables who struggled this weekend included Tiger Woods, who had a final-round 70 and walked off the course tied for 40th, at 4-over, Sergio Garcia at 8-over and Phil Mickelson at 13-over.

Jason Dufner still leads by two | 3:10 p.m.

The PGA Championship contenders have four holes of fewer left and Jason Dufner, at 11-under, has a two-shot lead over Jim Furyk with the pair headed to the par-three 15th. Dufner has never won a major; Furyk, the 2003 U.S. Open champion, is looking for his second.

And to get here:

On the 10th hole, Dufner, 36, had a chance to widen his lead to three with an eight-foot birdie putt, but he sent it a foot past the hole and his tap-in rimmed around and in. Dufner didn’t show it but he must have sighed inside with some relief.

But Furyk, 43, had a four-footer for par. He made it to stay two shots behind Dufner.

On the 12th hole, both Furyk and Dufner had almost equal birdie putts from about 15 feet. Dufner was out and went first. His putt was just on the edge of the cup. But then he had a two-shot lead and didn’t need it quite as much, though he did throw his arms up in disgust.

Furyk’s attempt went past the cup on the left about a foot. He rattled in the putt for a par four and grimaced a little. Pars aren’t good enough now.

Just ahead of the top two, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson had an 18-foot eagle putt that was about an inch short. He made the birdie and went to 9-under, tied with Furyk at two behind Dufner. Stenson finished second by three shots to Phil Mickelson at the British Open last month.

CBS’s Jim Nantz just gave us the best Dufner quote ever: “I don’t like stress because stress stresses me out.” And analyst David Feherty said, “Is that from the Auburn philosophy department?” Some chuckles here.

So far, nothing in Dufner’s golf game should stress him out.

Dufner received nice applause walking along the 13th hole. Furyk then hit his third shot on the par-five layout and it backed down the hill, away from the hole.

Both Dufner and Furyk parred No. 13. Safety first for Dufner but not good enough for Furyk? Dufner still has that two-shot lead with six to go. Just before that, Stenson missed a birdie attempt on 13 that could have cut Dufner’s lead to one.

On the the 323-yard, par-four 14th, Dufner again went safety first, with an iron up the middle. Furyk, who knows his limits, also used an iron to get to the middle of the fairway.

But Furyk left his third shot about 30 feet from the hole and stepped away from the birdie putt three times. It went past the hole about a foot. Dufner, just off the edge of the green, putted with his fairway wood and he ended up about six inches away for his par.

Furyk made his one-footer for par to remain at 9-under with four holes left. Dufner tapped in his for par putt to remain the leader at 11-under.

Jason Dufner leads by two at the turn | 2:15 p.m.

To catch up, with all the leaders done with the front nine, Jason Dufner is 11-under, two shots ahead of Jim Furyk and three ahead of Henrik Stenson. Dufner is aiming at his first major title.

And here’s how they’ve arrived at this place:

On the par-three, 172-yard sixth hole, Dufner’s drive ended up in the rough and his second shot went about 10 feet past the hole. Furyk, who started the day a shot ahead of Dufner, was on the green but about 25 feet from the hole.

Just far enough. Furyk’s putt went over a ridge and directly into the hole, right in the middle of the cup. Not even a smile from Furyk for that fabulous birdie. Dufner made an 8-foot par save to create a tie for the lead.

Ahead on the 16th hole, Scott Piercy moved into fourth place when he made his eighth birdie of the day and went to 6-under for the tournament, four behind the co-leaders. Furyk and Dufner then drove into the rough on the seventh hole.

Piercy, 34, went to San Diego State and has never finished better than tied for 26th at any of the majors. He has two PGA Tour wins.

Stenson dropped a shot and fell three behind the co-leaders with a bogey on the par-four seventh while Dufner was chipping out of the rough to the fairway behind Stenson.

Furyk went for the green but didn’t get enough carry and was in the deep rough, where he couldn’t see the flag from in front of the green. He almost flew the ball into the hole and left himself a 10-foot par putt.

Dufner’s third shot, from 148 yards out, trickled onto the green and stopped about 12 feet from the hole. The putt was dead center and he got his par four.

Furyk had an 11-foot downhill par putt to stay tied for the lead and made it look easy. Dufner got his four on the seventh as well.

Stenson dropped a shot to the leaders and fell behind by three with a bogey on the seventh. He got it back on the eighth with his fourth straight birdie on that hole to move back within two of the leaders.

On the eighth hole, Dufner put his second shot, a sand wedge, about a foot from the hole. Furyk’s approach shot was only about 12 feet away but he backed away twice from the putt, maybe feeling pressure from Dufner’s second shot. Furyk missed by a foot to stay at 10-under, then Dufner tapped in his birdie to claim the lead at 11-under for the tournament and 3-under for the day.

Adam Scott birdied the ninth hole for a 34 going out and 5-under for the tournament, barely holding on for a chance at his second major this year. Stenson also shot 34 on the front nine to remain in third, three shots behind Dufner.

On the ninth hole, neither of the leaders did well. Dufner left himself an 8-foot par putt and Furyk about a 12-footer. Furyk missed his for bogey, Dufner made his to stay at 11-under, and after nine holes took a two-shot lead over the field while looking for his first major championship.

Jason Day bogeyed the 16th and 17th holes to fall to four under and likely out of contention.

Jason Dufner overtakes Jim Furyk for the lead | 1:10 p.m.

Third-round leader Jim Furyk began with five consecutive pars on Sunday in the PGA Championship, usually a good start on the final day of a major, but he couldn’t keep the lead.

Playing partner Jason Dufner tied him with a birdie on the fourth hole with a 7-foot putt and moved into the lead with a birdie at No. 5 to get to 10-under with a one-shot lead over Furyk. Henrik Stenson, playing a group ahead, moved into third at 8-under.

Here’s how the day unfolded for the leaders:

Jonas Blixt, in his yellow shirt, was chewing his gum hard on the first tee. He started the day in fourth place, just behind fellow Swede Stenson and drove onto the fringes of the rough.

On the second hole, defending champion Rory McIlroy’s ball touched all parts of the hole and then the bottom of the cup for a birdie while Lee Westwood nearly went from bunker to birdie before settling for a par.

Masters champion Adam Scott bogeyed his first hole to fall to 4-under. It wasn’t the start of a man ready to make a run at his second major of the year or cement his chance at being named best golfer of the year.

That crazy clotheshorse Furyk changed from a purple shirt Saturday to light blue Sunday. His nerves showed and he missed his drive into the deep left rough at No. 1. The final man to tee off was Dufner, who started the day a shot behind and matched Furyk with a drive into the right rough. He didn’t make the fairway on his first shot once during the tournament.

Stenson bogeyed the first hole to fall two shots behind Furyk.

Blixt also bogeyed the first and surrendered a shot to Furyk but it’s certainly possible that in about 10 minutes, someone such as McIlroy or Jason Day or Scott Piercy, who’s 4-under through 10 holes Sunday will be waiting to pounce.

Furyk was buried so deep that he had to lay up and needed a well-done third shot to save par.

Piercy birdied the par-three 11th to move to 5-under, four behind Furyk at the time with not many people paying attention.

Furyk’s third shot landed about nine feet from the hole. Making that par putt would go a long way to calming the early jitters. After walking about a mile back and forth reading the putt, Furyk made it. That’s how important it was.

Day birdied No. 12 to also get to within four shots of Furyk.

Blixt, with his frantic gum-chewing and Swedish colors, bogeyed the second hole and his shoulders sagged.

Furyk’s drive on the 392-yard, par-four second was just off to the side in the short rough. Dufner, after his par on the first hole, hit a tree with his drive on the second hole. The bounce off the tree actually helped.

The leader was safely on the green, but with a very long birdie putt. Dufner’s second shot left him hung up on the lip of the bunker. As CBS announcer David Feherty said, “That may or may not be any good at all.” Dufner popped it up in the air and had about a 7-foot putt left for par.

Dufner said before the round he wouldn’t look at the leaderboard until about the seventh hole. When he does, he’ll see par-par to begin. And he’ll see Furyk also started par-par.

So far, defending champion Rory McIlroy is one-under through four holes but he was in the rocks by the green on the fifth and standing with his hands on his hips and shaking his head.

Day, the 25-year-old Australian who has tied for second twice at the U.S. Open, including this year, and once at the Masters (in 2011) went to six-under with a birdie at No. 13, his sixth in an eight-hole stretch. He was now three shots behind Furyk. But Day went for it all, trying to reach the green at the 322-yard, par-four 14th and instead ended up somewhere around the concession tents. Those are the chances golfers have to take when they feel they’ve sneaked into contention.

Furyk and Dufner both parred the third so Furyk still had a one-shot lead over Dufner at the top.

And meanwhile, McIlroy was having a disaster at the par-four fifth. He was all over the rough and ended up with a triple-bogey seven that probably meant McIlroy has no chance to defend his title. When he walked away from the hole, he was 2-over on the day and eight behind Furyk in a tie for 17th.

Stenson, who had finished second to Phil Mickelson at the British Open, moved to within a shot of Furyk with an eagle at the 570-yard, par-five fourth hole. He went to 8-under, tied with Dufner for second and a shot behind Furyk.

Leaders set to tee off in final round | 11:45 a.m.

This is when the real golf begins at the PGA Championship.

The players atop the leaderboard at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., are scheduled to tee off between 11:25 a.m. and noon Pacific time, a tightly packed group of eight players just one round away from the Wanamaker Trophy.

“There’s a crowded leaderboard at the top and instead of really viewing it as who is leading and who is not, I’m really viewing it as I need to go out there tomorrow and put together a good, solid round of golf,” Jim Furyk said after taking the 54-hole lead.

Furyk stands at 9-under 201 with Jason Dufner one stroke back. Adam Scott, who won the Masters, is at 5-under, is looking to bookend his season. The likes of Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood are lurking at 3-under.

“It gives me a bit of confidence knowing that I’ve been in that position before and I’ve been able to win,” McIlroy said.

On the first tee, the defending PGA champion from Northern Ireland hit a sweeping fade into the rough on the right edge of the fairway, not the most promising of starts.

Once again, Time Warner Cable subscribers in Los Angeles, New York and Dallas will not see the telecast on CBS, which has been blocked on Time Warner during an extended distribution dispute. PGA.com is offering video coverage online.

As the action heated up, Tiger Woods finished with a round of 70, walking off the course tied for 41st at 4-over. Phil Mickelson ended up at 13-over and Sergio Garcia stood at 6-over through 12 holes.

Rory McIlroy takes aim at the leaders | 11:20 a.m.

Rory McIlroy had some visible bounce in his step as he arrived at Oak Hill Country Club on Sunday morning.

In the midst of an otherwise brutal season, McIlroy has played well enough over the last three days to give himself a chance at defending his PGA Championship title.

“I’ve got another 18 to play,” he said after shooting a 67 on Saturday to reach 3-under. “And hopefully I can just keep playing the way I am.”

Jim Furyk leads the tournament at 9-under with Jason Dufner a stroke back. The final groups begin teeing off shortly after 11 a.m. PDT.

“Yeah, it’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Steve Stricker, only four off the lead. “We have got 18 holes, so there is a lot that can happen in that stretch of golf.”

Nos. 13 through 15 could be a deciding factor.

Officials moved the tee forward on the 13th, a par-five hole that had never been reached in two during any tournament. Sunday’s first starter, Gary Woodland, ended that streak right off the bat and made birdie.

Later, Danny Willett and Martin Kaymer not only matched Woodland’s approach, but made their eagle putts. Big hitters at the top of the leaderboard will be tempted to carry Allen’s Creek and give themselves a chance at that number.

No. 14 is short par-four that does not surrender as many birdies as might be expected. No. 15 features the treacherous pin location that fans picked online.

Among Sunday’s early starters, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson headed in the wrong direction. Tiger Woods needed birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 to return to par for the day and 4-over for the tournament.

Keegan Bradley and Graeme McDowell were making some noise, climbing the leaderboard to 2-under and 1-under, respectively.

“I think it’s going to be decent scores this afternoon,” said Miguel Angel Jimenez, who shot a 67 in the final round to finish at 2-over. “They will have not very low scores but under par for sure.”

Oak Hill is playing tough but fair | 10:08 a.m.

The early starters are making their way to the clubhouse at the PGA Championship, and initial reports have Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., playing tough but fair on a bright Sunday.

“The guys who are on top of the leaderboard are the guys who hit fairways and greens in regulation,” Ian Poulter said. “You have to put it in position. That’s the only way to play this golf course.”

Poulter played par golf for the final round to finish at 8-over for the year’s final major. The majority of the morning wave stood at par or plus-numbers for the day, but they haven’t exactly been tearing it up this week.

A few early misadventures:

Tiger Woods looked steady if unspectacular until making a bogey at No. 8 and three-putting for double bogey at No. 9 to fall to 7-over.

Tim Clark followed his hole-in-one on No. 11 with a less-memorable moment at No. 15. That’s where fans voted to place the pin beside the water at the right edge of the green. Clark took the bait and plunked his tee shot.

Chris Kirk met his match at No. 5, where his approach came up short, splashing into a creek that guards the green. Taking a drop, he put his next shot on target. Too much so.

His ball hit the pin and bounced back, rolling all the way to the water. Kirk eventually walked away with a triple bogey.

Finally, consider Miguel Angel Jimenez’s roller-coaster week.

Jimenez made five consecutive birdies on the back nine Sunday, the second time he has accomplished that feat during this tournament. The Spaniard has 20 birdies in all.

That would normally be enough to put him on the leaderboard, but Jimenez has played 16 holes at bogey or worse. He stood at 1-over heading into the last three holes of the final round.

As Poulter explained: “There are a lot of chances out there on the golf course. But there are some brutal par-fours.”

Fans pick difficult pin placement at 15th | 9:10 a.m.

The fans have spoken. And the players at the PGA Championship might not want to hear it.

For the first time at a major golf tournament, officials allowed the public to vote on pin placement, setting up the 15th green for Sunday’s final round.

With more than 92,000 votes cast online, fans selected a treacherous spot near the back of the green, bringing water into play just a few paces to the right and leaving scant room for misses on the left.

“Certainly extremely challenging,” said Kerry Haigh, the association’s chief championships officer. “You’d better tighten your belt.”

The par-three hole highlights an Oak Hill Country Club with plenty of tight placements, especially on No. 14 and the par-five holes. There will be a tempting risk-reward scenario at No. 13, where players must try to fly the creek to reach in two.

The forecast called for temperatures in the high 70s and increasing winds, which should continue to suck moisture out of rain-dampened fairways and greens, making Oak Hill play harder and tougher.

But don’t try telling that to Tim Clark, who recorded the tournament’s first hole-in-one, dropping his tee shot into the cup on two bounces at the par-three No. 11. That hole surrendered the only ace during the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, with Robert Allenby doing the honors.

Other highlights among the early starters?

Keegan Bradley and Ken Duke got off to quick starts. On the flipside, Martin Kaymer had three birdies in the first four holes, then gave all those strokes back on Nos. 5 and 6.

Phil Mickelson continued to struggle, playing 2-over through 17 holes, his overall score dropping to 12-over. Tiger Woods played at par through four holes, standing firm at 4-over.

Jim Furyk and the rest of the leaders were scheduled to tee off starting at 11 a.m. PST.

--David Wharton

Jim Furyk takes aim at second major | 7:00 a.m.

Jim Furyk, leader by one shot going into the final day of the final major golf championship of the season, said he has an easy plan for the last round Sunday.

“Fire a good number and hope it stacks up well,” Furyk said.

Furyk, going after the second major in his career, has a one-stroke lead over Jason Dufner, formerly an Auburn star. Furyk is at 9-under-par 201 after three rounds following a 2-under 68 Saturday.

There are 10 players within seven shots of Furyk, including defending champion Rory McIlroy, who birdied his final two holes Saturday, chipping in at No. 18. The former No. 1-ranked player from Northern Ireland is six shots behind Furyk.

Furyk’s only major championship came at the 2003 U.S. Open championship at Olympia Fields outside of Chicago. Furyk will play Sunday with Dufner.

The pair exchanged the lead several times during the third round. Dufner, 36, has never won a major but came closest with a second-place finish at the 2011 PGA Championship, a tournament he led by five shots with three holes to play. Dufner collapsed and lost in a playoff to Keegan Bradley on the third extra hole.

“I was young, new to doing the majors,” Dufner said of his 2011 collapse. “I think that was the third or fourth major I played in. So hopefully, the experience I’ve had since then will pull me through and give me a chance to win tomorrow.”

Furyk and Dufner will tee off at 11:55 a.m. Pacific time.

Teeing off 10 minutes ahead of the lead group will be a pair of Swedes: Henrik Stenson, who is at 7-under, and Jason Blixt (6-under).

The third-to-last pair off the tee will be American Steve Sticker, who shot even par Saturday, and Australian Adam Scott, the reigning Masters champion, who shot a third-round 72. Both are at 5-under.

--Diane Pucin

ALSO:

Jim Furyk leads by one at PGA Championship

Phil Mickelson, Tigers Woods struggle in similar fashion

Photos: 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club