News: Zurich Classic of New Orleans
April 30 2012
2:02 pm
Caption this: Jason Dufner
What is the Zurich Classic of New Orleans champion thinking as he holds on the trophy on the 18th green? Leave your response below … and please, keep it clean!
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: Zurich Classic
Round 4: Zurich Classic of New Orleans
April 29 2012
10:09 pm
With this victory: Jason Dufner
Jason Dufner broke through with his first career victory Sunday at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. With this victory, Dufner:
• Earns 500 FedExCup points and moves to No. 9 in the latest standings with 932 points.
• Picks up a victory in his 164th start on TOUR after three runner-up and two third-place finishes.
• Improves his playoff record to 1-2 on the PGA TOUR. He previously fell in playoffs at the 2011 Waste Management Phoenix Open and 2011 PGA Championship.
• Becomes the TOUR’s 11th winner in his 30s this year and the third first-time winner this season (joining Kyle Stanley and John Huh in the latter category).
• Becomes the 12th player since 1990 to earn his maiden victory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
• Joins seven-time PGA TOUR winner John Huston as former Auburn Tigers who have won on TOUR.
• Picks up his fourth consecutive top 10 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He finished T3 in 2011, T7 in 2010 and T9 in 2009. In six-career starts he has four top 10s and only one missed cut (2004).
9:10 pm
Notes from inside the ropes
By Fred Albers, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
AVONDALE, La. – The 16th green is just 100 yards away from the 17th green, separated by water, and it provided great drama in the final round.
Ernie Els and Jason Dufner were tied for the lead and both had lengthy par putts. First, Dufner rolled in a 44-footer for par on 16. While the cheers were still rolling across the water, Els answered with a 14-footer of his own at 17. It was one of the better moments of the year on the PGA TOUR and set the stage for a great finish.
Tough track: PGA TOUR officials had TPC Louisiana set up for a difficult finish in the final round. Nine holes were cut just four paces from the edge of the green, and three of the four par 3s on the course were in excess of 200 yards including the 14th hole, which measured a stern 223 yards.
Back nine: Steve Stricker never got any momentum going in the final round, and he can blame the back nine at TPC Louisiana. For the week, he played the final nine at even par and did not muster a single birdie in his final nine holes on Sunday.
Tight lies: Chipping was a challenge the entire week for players because of tight lies and grainy Bermuda. The grass was clipped very short and if the Bermuda was growing into the ball it made for a very difficult chip. Players had to clip the ball perfectly and several shots were “fatted” through the course of the week.
Oh, Canada: Graham DeLaet had a good day of ballstriking and a bad day of putting on Sunday. The Canadian hit his approaches inside of 13 feet on nine different holes but made just one of his putts. Putting is most affected by nerves, and DeLaet appeared shaky on his first couple holes, leading to lost confidence.
Putting: Jason Dufner came into TPC Louisiana ranked 108th in Strokes Gained-Putting. This week, he was sixth in SGP and ranked second in total putts, taking 105 over 72 holes. Dufner made a 51-foot birdie at the fourth hole on Saturday and saved par with a 44-footer on the 16th hole Sunday. Welcome to the winner’s circle, Jason.
Fred Albers is a course reporter for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio and on site this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. For more information on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, click here.
7:17 pm
Final update: Dufner gets first win
AVONDALE, La. — In the end, it took two extra holes and an almost anticlimactic 19-inch birdie putt.
But Jason Dufner finally is a PGA TOUR champion after beating World Golf Hall of Famer Ernie Els in a playoff Sunday at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
The victory came in Dufner’s 164th start after several high-profile disappointments, including at the last two major championships. The 35-year-old took the lead at the midway point which had proven so problematic for him and never looked back, shooting 67 in the third round and closing with a solid 70.
"I am really, really excited and to get the monkey off my back is a great feeling," said Dufner, who had lost a four-stroke lead on the back nine of the PGA last year and was beaten by Keegan Bradley in a playoff.
Now Dufner can turn his attention to his wedding to Amanda Boyd, which takes place in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday. They are delaying the honeymoon so Dufner, who now ranks ninth in the FedExCup, can play the next three weeks, including at the PGA TOUR’s signature event, THE PLAYERS Championship.
Dufner is the eighth third-round leader or co-leader to go on to victory this season on the PGA TOUR. Prior to this week, though, Dufner ranked 108th on TOUR in final-round scoring average and he had not broken par on his last six Sundays.
Neither Dufner nor Els was able to birdie the 18th hole, a 570-yard par 5, in regulation to break what had become a match-play affair in the final hour. Dufner then missed a 7-footer for birdie there on the first playoff hole after reaching the green in two. Els was a foot closer after finding the greenside bunker with his second shot but missed, as well.
The playoff returned to the 18th hole for a second time and Dufner again reached the green with a 5-wood after Els had driven into the fairway bunker and had to lay-up. This time Dufner cozied his 59-footer for eagle to 19 inches.
Els’ third shot had landed on the fringe, 19 feet from the pin, and when his last-ditch birdie putt veered right, all Dufner needed to do was tap-in for the win.
Els, meanwhile, was trying to win for the first time in his last 43 starts and the 19th time in his World Golf Hall of Fame career. Els actually owned a two-stroke lead when he eagled the seventh hole, then dueled Dufner shot-for-shot on the back nine to force the playoff.
Els, who is trying to break a two-year victory drought, now has finished fifth or better in three of his last five starts. His next chance will be at THE PLAYERS Championship in two weeks.
6:52 pm
Congratulate Dufner on his victory
It took 164 starts but Jason Dufner is finally a winner on the PGA TOUR. The three-time runner-up broke through with a birdie on the second playoff hole against Ernie Els. With the victory Dufner moves to No. 9 in the latest FedExCup standings. Want to congratulate Dufner on his big win? Leave a message in our comments section below and we’ll get it to him!
6:34 pm
Live updates: News, notes and more
AVONDALE, La. – The final round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans is under way at TPC Louisiana. Check back frequently for updates and et us know what you think about the competition in the comments section below.
MORE ZURICH CLASSIC: Leaderboard | Shot Tracker | Projected FedExCup points
PLAYOFF UPDATES (all times ET)
6:34 p.m. — It took 164 tournaments — and several heart-wrenching disappointments — but Jason Dufner is finally a PGA TOUR champion. He tapped in for birdie to end the playoff and raised his putter briefly in the air, the celebration as understated as his personality.
6:32 p.m. — This time, Jason Dufner didn’t leave his eagle putt short. He’s got 19 inches for birdie as Els surveys his own birdie putt. The Big Easy misses by inches and it’s all up to Dufner.
6:29 p.m. — Ernie Els’ third shot lands just on the fringe, 19 feet from the pin for a potential birdie. But the advantage belongs to Jason Dufner who reached the green in two.
6:25 p.m. — Ernie Els hits first out of the bunker and lays up well back. He’ll have 137 to the pin. Jason Dufner finds the right side of the green again and will have 59 feet for eagle.
6:22 p.m. — Ernie Els’ third drive at the 18th hole on Sunday finds the middle fairway bunker after a poke of 288 yards. Jason Dufner, meanwhile, flirts with the right side of the fairway, a long, skinny bunker and the water — but the ball stops safely, 263 yards from the pin.
6:19 p.m. — Prior to Sunday, Jason Dufner had played the 18th hole in 4 under with two birdies and an eagle in the second round. Ernie Els, on the other hand, only has two birdies on the 570-yard par 5 – both of which came in the first two rounds.
6:17 p.m. — Jason Dufner misses his birdie putt and taps in. The pressure is on Els. The crowd groans again as his putt rolls 2 feet, 9 inches past the hole but he makes it coming back. The two will head back to the 18th hole.
6:13 p.m. — This time Ernie Els gives himself a much better opportunity, blasting to 5 feet, 9 inches. Jason Dufner putts down the ridge to 7 feet, 3 inches.
6:09 p.m. — Jason Dufner’s second shot lands on the right side of the green and he’ll have 73 feet for eagle. Erniie Els finds the same bunker he was in during regulation.
6:06 p.m. – This is Ernie Els’ first playoff since the 2004 British Open, which he lost to Todd Hamilton. Jason Dufner is playing in his third and looking for his first victory.
6:04 p.m. – Ernie Els hits first. His drive travels 316 yards and veers just off the short grass beside the third fairway bunker. Jason Dufner’s drive, meanwhile, finds the fairway some 308 yards out. Due to the angle, though, Dufner is only one yard farther away from the green than Els is.
FINAL-ROUND UPDATES (all times ET)
5:53 p.m. — Jason Dufner’s putt stubbornly refuses to fall, sliding under the hole. He taps in so we’ll head back to the 18th hole for a playoff, the second straight at the Zurich Classic.
5:50 p.m. — With Ernie Els over on the practice green, Jason Dufner chips to 11 feet. He needs to make the birdie putt or we’ll have a playoff.
5:46 p.m. — Jason Dufner ‘s 3-hybrid lands in the collection area to the left of the green. He needs to get up and down for birdie and the long-awaited win.
5:43 p.m. — Ernie Els blasted out to 17 feet but the birdie putt stops and inch shy of the hole. Jason Dufner, waiting to hit his second shot, can win his first PGA TOUR event with a birdie.
5:35 p.m. — Ernie Els just put his second shot into the greenside bunker at the 18th hole — the same one from which Luke Donald just got up and down for birdie. Jason Dufner’s drive lands just beside the fairway bunker.
5:27 p.m. — Jason Dufner missed the green at the 17th hole but chipped to 6 feet and made the downhill putt for another par. Ernie Els has just found the fairway at the 18th hole so Dufner will have a bit of a wait on the tee.
5:25 p.m. — Luke Donald got up and down from the greenside bunker at No. 18 for a final birdie in a round of 67 that moved him into sole possession of third place. He goes back to No. 1 in the world.
5:22 p.m. — In case you were wondering, a playoff would begin at the 18th hole. It would go 18-18-17 and then back to 18, if necessary.
5:18 p.m. — Not to be outdone, Ernie Els answered a minute later with a 14-footer to save par at the 17th hole after coming up short of the green. He’ll head to the par-5 18th tied with Jason Dufner at 19 under.
5:16 p.m. — Jason Dufner took his drop and then put his third shot on the far fringe, 44 feet away. Dufner, who made a 51-footer for birdie in the third round, cooly made the improbable par. This time he cracks a smile as he walks back to his bag.
5:10 p.m. — Jason Dufner’s 4-footer to save par at No. 15 took the side entrance but managed to find the cup so he remains tied with Ernie Els at 19 under. But Dufner has got bigger problems now — his drive at the 16th hole found the hazard by the bank … and there is an alligator nearby.
4:49 p.m. — After missing the green right at the par-3 14th, Jason Dufner calmly rolled in a 9-footer for par to remain tied with Ernie Els. It’s virtually a two-man race with their nearest competitors three behind — but remember, the 18th is a par 5 that has yeilded 12 eagles so far this week.
4:37 p.m. –Looks like Bubba Watson is going to finish four points shy of taking over the FedExCup lead from his fellow “Golf Boy” Hunter Mahan. The Masters champ shot 70 Sunday and finished at 11 under. Click here to check out the projected FedExCup standings.
4:24 p.m. — A clutch par save at the 12th hole enabled Ernie Els to remain in that tie with Jason Dufner at 19 under. The affable South African found the left fairway bunker off the tee and put his second in another short and right of the green before blasting out to 10 feet and making the putt.
4:14 p.m. — Cameron Tringale continues to challenge for his first victory — rolling in consecutive birdie putts of 14, 12 and 3 feet starting at No. 11 to move into the tie at 16 under with Steve Stricker, Luke Donald and Ryan Palmer. Tringale has tied for eighth in his last two starts.
4:09 p.m. — With Jason Dufner watching back in the fairway, Ernie Els gets up and down from the mound above the left greenside bunker at the par-5 11th to once again join the Auburn grad in the lead, this time at 19 under. Els has hit 10 of 11 greens in regulation and 6 of 9 fairways on Sunday.
3:57 p.m. — Jason Dufner has just regained the lead with an 11-footer for birdie at the 10th hole. True to form, he barely cracks a smile.
3:46 p.m. — Ernie Els and Jason Dufner have just started the back nine at TPC Louisiana, tied for the lead at 18 under. Steve Stricker trails by two while Luke Donald just chipped in from 47 feet right of the green at the par-5 11th to join John Rollins and Ryan Palmer at 15 under.
3:30 p.m. — Jason Dufner is proving awfully resilient as he chases his first PGA TOUR victory. He has just birdied two straight, making a 5-footer at No. 8, to pull even with Ernie Els at the top of the leaderboard.
3:25 p.m. — Don’t count out world No. 2 Luke Donald. He’s just made the turn in 2 under and moved with four strokes of Ernie Els’ lead. Donald, who is tied for fifth with John Rollins and Graham DeLaet, needs to finish solo seventh or better to overtake Rory McIlroy at the top of the world rankings.
3:21 p.m. — Steve Stricker briefly joined Jason Dufner at 16 under after making a 7-footer for birdie at the eighth hole. Minutes later, though, Dufner two-putted for birdie at No. 7, leaving his 21-footer for eagle 17 inches shot, to get back to 17 under and one behind Ernie Els.
3:12 p.m. — Just call the seventh hole the ‘Big Easy’ for Ernie Els. He just made an 8-footer for eagle there and now leads by two at 18 under. The 547-yard par 5 is the easiest on the course this week.
3:10 p.m. — Ken Duke’s sizzling start may have been for naught. Duke, who birdied four of his first five holes to move within a shot of the lead, now trails by three after a bogey at No. 8 and a water-logged double at the ninth hole.
3:05 p.m. — Just as the CBS coverage comes on TV, we have a tie at the top of the leaderboard. Jason Dufner missed the sixth green, chipped on and couldn’t convert an 8-footer for par so he’s tied with World Golf Hall of Famer Ernie Els.
3:01 p.m. — Masters champ Bubba Watson is working on what would be his 16th straight round of par or better, which leads the PGA TOUR. He started with consecutive bogeys but has strung together streaks of three and two straight birdies to move to 2 under for the day with six holes remaining.
2:46 p.m. — Ernie Els has joined Ken Duke in a tie for second, one behind Jason Dufner, with a 4-foot birdie putt at the fourth hole. He’s trying to win for the first time since the 2010 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard.
2:29 p.m. –If Jason Dufner goes on to win the Zurich Classic, he’ll be the second golfer who played collegiately at Auburn to win on TOUR. The other one, John Huston, has seven TOUR wins and now plays the Champions Tour.
2:16 p.m. — A 5-footer for birdie at the fifth hole, his fourth birdie of the day, has pulled Ken Duke within a shot of Jason Dufner. Duke, who is looking for his first PGA TOUR win, too, finished second in New Orleans in 2007, one of his three runners-up on TOUR.
1:57 p.m. — Ken Duke is making an early move with birdies on his first three holes. He’s now tied with Graham DeLeat, two strokes behind Jason Dufner. DeLaet and Dufner parred their first holes.
1:40 p.m. — John Rollins has just teed off in the penultimate group. He’s the only player in the top 10 on the leaderboard through three rounds who has a final-round scoring average ranked into the top 15 on TOUR (70.00).
1:20 p.m. – Charles Howell III has just made a hole-in-one at No. 9. He used a 6-iron on the 190-yard hole for the ace which was his second of the year and fifth of his career. His other 2012 hole-in-one came at No. 7 in the final round of The Honda Classic.
12:52 p.m. – Jeff Overton bounced back from his lone bogey at the 17th hole to birdie No. 18 and post a 65 that had moved him 47 spots up the leaderboard when he finished. That will change, of course, as the day progresses but those six birdies and 14-footer for eagle at the seventh are a nice sendoff.
12:30 p.m. – The leaders won’t tee off for 75 minutes but already there are some low rounds in the works. Jeff Overton, Colt Knost and Mark Anderson are all 6 under – through 17, 16 and 12 holes, respectively.
5:07 pm
Watson headed home to family
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM
AVONDALE, La. — Bogeys on his first two holes could easily have set the wrong tone for Bubba Watson on Sunday at TPC Louisiana.
Instead, the admittedly exhausted Masters champ reeled off three straight birdies to get back on track on the way to a 70 that left Watson at 11 under and tied for 17th. Not a bad title defense for Watson, who crept within four points of the lead in the FedExCup in the process.
"Kept my head together," Watson said when asked what he did best on Sunday. "Quick bogeys on the first two holes can easily ruin your round and make you get down on yourself. I stayed with it so my mind was good today and I stayed with it and somehow shot a couple under."
Watson is looking forward to a week off. Next up is likely THE PLAYERS in two weeks and then the Memorial Tournament, although Watson said he’s going to "go home and be a dad and husband and see how I feel in a couple days" before making any promises.
Watson and his wife Angie, who adopted a month-old son the week before the Masters, have rented a home in the Isleworth community in Orlando. He hasn’t spent much time there, though, in the aftermath of the Masters after going on a media blitz in New York and playing in Tim Tebow’s charity event.
"My mind is with my wife and my kid," Watson said. "I want to go home and spend time with them. I want to be a better husband, a better dad. I want to learn how to be a dad. You know, we’ve had him for five weeks. I’ve only been home for maybe two weeks.
"So I just want to go home and then see what feels like to be a real dad, you know, and be there and support my wife and everything. So, that’s where I really want to be right now."
3:47 pm
Watch: Els eagles No. 7
Els eagles No. 7 in Round 4
Ernie Els hits his 229-yard second shot to 8 feet on the par-5 7th hole and makes the eagle putt.
10:30 am
DeLaet appreciates Sunday’s chance
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM
AVONDALE, La. — A year ago, Graham DeLaet didn’t know if he’d ever have an opportunity like he has Sunday at TPC Louisiana.
DeLaet was still undergoing rehabilitation after back surgery the previous January. He’d originally injured his back playing hockey as a teenager back home in Canada and had learned to deal with the flare-ups. By the end of his rookie year on the PGA TOUR, though, sitting — much less playing golf — had become a challenge.
So DeLaet opted for a microdiscectomy to shave some of the bone that was pressing on the nerve. He played two tournaments last summer but quickly realized he wasn’t ready so he waited until 2012 to return to the TOUR full-time.
And Sunday, 12 events into his comeback, DeLaet enters the final round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with a chance to win his first PGA TOUR event. He vaulted up the leaderboard with a 66 on Saturday to finish at 15 under and sit two stokes behind Jason Dufner.
Turns out, DeLaet says he might be a better player because of the extended layoff.
"I feel I’m better mentally because of it because I know a bogey is not really the end of the world and I used to kind of have a little bit of a bad temper, have a bad swing or make a bad bogey," DeLaet said. "Now I realize that my health is really the most important thing and I think it’s actually helped my golf game. It was obviously something I wouldn’t want to go through again but kind of a blessing in disguise"
The 30-year-old picked up the fourth top-10 finish of his career earlier this year in Puerto Rico. His career-best is a tie for third as a rookie in Houston, but Sunday marks his first appearance in the final group in the final round.
DeLaet has quietly played solidly over the first three rounds at TPC Louisiana. He ranks fifth in driving distance, tied for 10th in greens in regulation and 13th in strokes-gained putting. He was tied for the lead late on the back nine Saturday and is pleased to see everything finally come together.
"First of all, it’s exciting," DeLaet said. "It’s the first time I’ve been in this position this deep into a tournament. I’m looking forward to that, the challenge. But I guess more than anything, (I want to) just kind of keep doing what I’m doing. I really feel that my caddy and I are working well together, picking good targets and just kind of working shots the right way. I’m excited about the opportunity and kind of keep doing what I’m doing."
DeLaet, who needs a win to make the field for THE PLAYERS Championship in two weeks, is playing the 2012 campaign on a major medical extension, with 26 events to earn $657,694. A win on Sunday, though, would make him exempt for the rest of the season, as well as the next two years.
"I know it’s a cliche but that’s what I’m going to try to focus on and not try to get too far ahead of myself," DeLaet said. "I’ve done that in the past with going into the final round with a chance or even, you know, a chance for a nice finish, … and think about what a good finish can do for you and that kind thing. I’m going to kind of try to keep staying in the present and going from there."
9:30 am
Bubba excited about final round
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM
AVONDALE, La. — Bubba Watson was talking like a new man after the third round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
A little sleep and a round of 65 will do that for you. In fact, the reigning Masters champion, a man who had talked all week about how mentally drained he was in the aftermath of that win two weeks ago at Augusta National, had a noticeable enthusiasm in his voice again.
In fact, the defending champion of the Zurich Classic was even talking about trying to make a run at the title on Sunday. Granted, he’s 9 under and eight strokes behind Jason Dufner, but he’s got positive vibes at TPC Louisiana.
"(I) basically kicked myself in the butt, you know, said, ‘Look if you’re going to come out here you better come out here to win,’" Watson said. "I made the cut on the number. Knew if I could shoot something under par the next 2 days it would be respectable. Got a lot lower than I really was hoping for. …
"I’m still in it. I shoot another low one (Sunday), I could get the lead again."
Watson, who played the par 5s in 5 under on Saturday and 10 under for the week, said he’s slept about 20 hours in the last two days. His focus has improved and it showed on the course, as he made seven birdies — including four straight to start the round — and an eagle while dropping just one shot to par when he found the water at No. 17, which was his eighth hole of the day.
"Made a lot of good putts and swings," Watson said. "Hit a lot of greens today. Made some putts. Turned out to a low score. … So long as I don’t choke tomorrow, I should have a good shot at it."
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