While those in the know of the golf world may not be too shocked that Jason Dufner walked away from Oak Hill Country Club as the winner of the 2013 PGA Championship, he's a new face to lots of casual fans.
Now so is his wife, Amanda Dufner, after she received some excited pats on the bottom from her victorious husband. He deserved to be so exuberant; Dufner nearly made golf history of the highest order and put together a consistently brilliant four days.
He finished the weekend at 10-under par, two strokes ahead of runner-up Jim Furyk who entered Round 4 atop the leaderboard. Dufner's big move came on Day 2, when he came a mere putt shy of the finest round in major history. He finished Friday with a round of 63, and was leading the field.
Furyk stormed ahead on Day 3 as Dufner faltered just a bit, shooting 1-over par. Dufner returned with a vengeance in the clutch, though, while Furyk picked a poor time to have his worst round of the weekend.
Dufner is known for stoicism among golf fans, so his shows of emotion were a sight to behold. In addition to tapping his wife's rear upon winning, he also allowed himself a small smile and meek fist pump.
"But those sports are a little more exciting -- big plays in basketball, home runs in baseball, big plays in football. That will get you pumped up," Dufner said. "For me, golf is a little bit more boring. I hit it in the fairway or I didn't. Usually I'm struggling with the putter, so there's not too much to get excited about with that."
Following the second-place finish, Furyk made no excuses about his semi-collapse on the final day, offering credit to Dufner. "I have a lot of respect for him and the way he played today," Furyk said. "I don't know if it makes anything easy, or less easy. But I don't look at it as I lost the golf tournament. I look at it as I got beat by somebody that played better today."
Dufner also changed the way people view "Dufnering," which became a popular internet meme after he was caught leaning against a wall looking sleepy. Now, that can also mean winning major tournaments. Here are some pro golfers who poked some fun at Dufner's internet misfortune.
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