USPGA Championships, Oak Hill Country Club, NY Round 4

Jason Dufner wins maiden USPGA by two shots

Leaderboard: -10 Dufner (68), -8 Furyk (71), -7 Stenson (70)

Jason Dufner impressively won his first ever major title after a composed round of 68 saw the American overturn Jim Furyk's one shot lead to win by two shots on -10. It was an assured performance from the man they call the 'duffmeister' who held his famous pokerface throughout the entire 18 holes before finally letting out a wry smile as he sank the championship putt. Jim Furyk could not hold on to his one shot lead after struggling to find birdies in the final round, eventually ending with a one over par score of 71 which left him two shots adrift. Swedish pair Henrik Stenson and Jonas Blixt could only manage even par rounds of 70 as they both took a top five finish.

My Favourites: 

I think many people will take to liking the new USPGA champion Jason Dufner and I am no exception. He is a very likeable character who won many more fans during his final day triumph. Adam Scott had another good major after a final round of 70 left him -5 for the tournament. Rory McIlroy will be really pleased with his progress this week, finishing with a final round of 70 to leave him on -3. Rickie Fowler had another one of his decent tournaments but still cannot find the magic to propel him to the top, finishing on -1 after a round of 69. Justin Rose and Lee Westwood fell back after poor rounds which will be a great shame for them both. Tiger Woods will be disappointed how the week went for him after another average round of 70 left him on plus 4.

My Opinion: 

A great day for golf as one of the fans favourites took the title. Jason Dufner showed composure, determination and class to win his maiden major. He drove the ball straight and hit the green all day long and fully deserves the win. Jim Furyk will be disappointed with his round as a one under score today would have seen him in a playoff. Stenson and Blixt couldn't produce the fireworks needed to post a challenge but still a very good tournament from both the Swedes. Great to see Rory McIlroy find some form again which will please the world of golf. Tiger Woods did not live up to the hype at all as he just couldn't string enough birdies together throughout the week. A great final major of the year and all eyes will be on that $10 million bonus at the Fed Ex Cup.
























Performance of the Day: Jason Dufner for a brilliant 68 to win the USPGA championship.

Performance of the Tournament: Jonas Blixt for four great rounds of golf and to finish fourth.

Lowest Round of the Day: Scott Piercy 65

Lowest Round of the Tournament: Jason Dufner 63 in the second round.

Highest Round of the Day: Darren Clarke 80

Highest Round of the Tournament: Chip Sullivan 84 in the first round.

Disappointment of the Day: Lee Westwood scoring an ugly 76.

Disappointment of the Tournament: Tiger Woods not really showing up.  

USPGA Championships, Oak Hill Country Club, NY Round 3

Furyk leads Dufner by one shot going into the Final Round at USPGA

Leaderboard: -9 Furyk (68), -8 Dufner (71), -7 Stenson (69)

Jim Furyk kept his composure to take a one shot lead going into the final round at Oak Hill after a two under par score of 68. Jason Dufner found it tough to make birdies and in the end dropped one shot after carding a round of 71. Henrik Stenson and Jonas Blixt provided a strong Swedish charge for the title after strong rounds of 69 and 66 respectively leave them only a few shots behind with one round to go. Steve Stricker and Adam Scott both lie on -5 going into the final round and will be prepared to pounce if the leaders start to make mistakes.

My Favourites:

Lee Westwood (-3) bounced back from a poor second round to gain back two shots after a round of 68 whilst Rory McIlroy (-3) showed what he his capable of after a brilliant round of 67. Dustin Johnson (-2) tore up the course with a blistering 65. Rickie Fowler (E) struggled through his round and dropped two shots with a 72. It was a day to forget for Justin Rose (1) who had trouble after trouble during his round of 77. Another frustrating day for Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson who have struggled all week with this course. Woods (4) could only manage 73 whilst Mickelson (12) followed suit with his round of 73.

My Opinion:

Jim Furyk looks set to win this title after taking the lead with another composed under par round. A one shot lead is always going to be a nervy prospect to deal with but Furyk has the head to deal which such an occasion. Jason Dufner will be looking to have another special round in his quest for his maiden major trophy. It will certainly be a close contest and could go all the way to the 18th hole. The Swedes will have something to say though as both Henrik Stenson and Jonas Blixt will be looking to pounce on any mistake from the leaders. If a winner is going to come back from further behind, Adam Scott is my pick to come from the chasing pack. It should be a great end to the majors for this year with some brilliant golfers vying for the USPGA title.



Performance of the Day: Jonas Blixt for shooting 66 and putting himself in contention at the top. 

Lowest Round of the Day: Dustin Johnson with 65.

Highest Round of the Day: Gary Woodland with 80.

Disappointment of the Day: Knowing that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will not be involved for the title. 

USPGA Championships, Oak Hill Country Club, NY Round 2

Dufner takes two shot USPGA lead after shooting 63

Leaderboard: -9 Dufner (63), -7 Scott (68), Kuchar (66), Furyk (68)

Jason Dufner stormed to the top of the USPGA leaderboard after a brilliant seven under par second round performance. The American drove straight and long throughout his round and sank continuous birdies to take a two shot lead going into the weekend. Adam Scott and Jim Furyk continued their fine form as they both shot 68 to remain in touching distance of Dufner. Matt Kuchar posted a four under par round of 66 to fire himself into a tie for second and will be looking to chase down the impressive Dufner.

My Favourites:

Justin Rose remains in the chasing pack after a solid round of 66, leaving him on -6 after his second round. Sergio Garcia lies on -3 after a round of 68 whilst Rickie Fowler will head into the weekend on -2 after scoring 68. Graeme McDowell went under par for the tournament after finishing his round with a 69 but Lee Westwood dropped three shots in a disappointing round of 73. Rory McIlroy will be happy to make the cut but there is still room for improvement after his round of 71. Tiger Woods failed to set the course alight again after a mixed round of 70 leaves him on plus 1 going into the weekend alongside Ian Poulter, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson.

Big names who missed the cut:

With the cut being (3) there were plenty of high profile casualties.
(4) Bubba Watson after a 74. Schwartzel after a 73.
(5) Luke Donald after a 74.
(6) Ernie Els after a 72.

My Opinion:

Jason Dufner fully deserves his two shot lead at the midway point of the tournament after a brilliant seven under par round of 63. Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar and Jim Furyk lead a very strong chasing pack and will be looking to shoot low over the weekend to take advantage of any mistake from the Duffmeister. Good to see Justin Rose continue his great form this year with another solid round of 66. Rickie Fowler needs to find some magic to climb the leaderboard otherwise it could be another average tournament for him. Lee Westwood will be gutted to have dropped three shots after his strong opening round. Work to do over the weekend for Lee. Rory McIlroy looks to have found his game again but struggled to make a lot of birdies. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will both be looking for better things to happen in their next two rounds as they have both failed to set the course ablaze. Disappointed to see both Bubba Watson and Luke Donald miss the cut. Two poor rounds between them really cost them here.



Performance of the Day: Jason Dufner took a starring role.

Lowest Round of the Day: Jason Dufner with 63.

Highest Round of the Day: Lee Rhind with 82 and a combined two round total of 163 shots.

Disappointment of the Day: Seeing Bubba Watson and Luke Donald both shoot 74 to miss the cut. 

USPGA Championships, Oak Hill Country Club, NY Round 1

Jim Furyk and Adam Scott share lead after USPGA opening round

Leaderboard: -5 Furyk (65), Scott (65), -4 Hearn (66), Westwood (66)

Jim Furyk and Adam Scott both went round in 65 to share a one shot lead after the first round of the USPGA Championships. David Hearn and Lee Westwood both scored an impressive 66 to leave them one shot behind the leaders. There is a strong chasing pack after players took advantage of the birdie opportunities the course produced. Robert Garrigus, Paul Casey, Matt Kuchar, Marcus Fraser, Scott Piercy and Jason Day all went round in 67 to lie two shots behind the opening round leaders.

My Favourites: 

It was a good start for Lee Westwood who sits one shot behind the lead. Justin Rose continues his fine form in the majors with a round of 68. Sergio Garcia, Rory McIlroy and David Lynn will be pleased with their first round efforts as they carded rounds of 69. Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter sit five shots back on even par. It was not the start Luke Donald, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson wanted as they struggled to rounds of 71. Dustin Johnson dropped two shots to finish with 72.

My Opinion:

Jim Furyk just kept hitting fairways and greens all day long and made a substantial amount of birdie putts to card a brilliant round of 65. Adam Scott used his driver to perfection to leave himself multiple birdie chances throughout his round. A good start from Lee Westwood who will be desperate to win his maiden major. Pleased to see Paul Casey do well after his shoulder troubles. Justin Rose looks in the hunt to continue his fine form this year whilst Rory McIlroy finally looks to have found some form. Average days on the course for Rickie Fowler and Bubba Watson. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson got off to slow starts whilst Luke Donald struggled to a round of 71. There are always brilliant opening rounds from unexpected sources so it will be interesting to see who will be at the top at the end of round two. Plus, it will be interesting to see if Tiger Woods can climb that leaderboard.



Performance of the Day: Jim Furyk for an inspired opening round performance. 

Lowest Round of the Day: 65 scored by both Jim Furyk and Adam Scott.

Highest Round of the Day: 84 scored by Chip Sullivan.

Disappointment of the Day: Tiger Woods only shooting 71 after all his build up.