2011 PGA Championship: Keegan Bradley Defeats Jason Dufner In Playoff

Before 2011, Keegan Bradley was more or less a complete unknown to anyone who was not a hardcore golf follower. On Sunday, the 25-year-old up and comer made a massive name for himself, defeating Jason Dufner in a three-hole playoff to win the 2011 PGA Championship. For his efforts, Bradley not only shot up to 29th in the World Golf Rankings, but also got to take home a big fat check worth over $1.4 million. The payouts for the other golfers weren’t too shabby either.

Dufner, the runner-up, earned $865,000 for his troubles. Everyone who finished tied for 12th place or higher, a total of 18 golfers, took home paychecks in the six figures. The lowest placed golfers who made the cut, Rory Sabbatini and Shaun Micheel, took home $14,550.

With only four holes left in the 2011 PGA Championship, Jason Dufner looked well on his way to winning his first major. Then he bogeyed 15. And 16. And 17. And all of a sudden he found himself in a three-hole playoff with Keegan Bradley. It was Bradley who emerged victorious in the 93rd PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club.

For Dufner, the meltdown is among the most swift and agonizing in major championship history. However, Dufner said afterward that he doesn’t expect this to become the defining moment of his career:

For the second year in a row, the PGA Championship came down to a playoff. This time, the winner was rookie Keegan Bradley, who was five strokes behind then-leader Jason Dufner with three holes to play. Bradley birdied the first hole in the three-hole playoff, then made par on the second and third to clinch the Wanamaker Trophy in his first ever major tournament.

Bradley birdied 16 and made an unbelievable putt on 17 to force a playoff with the collapsing Dufner, who bogeyed 15, 16 and 17 to let Bradley in the door. Bradley just happened to blast through it.

Dufner’s bogey was his fourth in his last six holes. He held a five-shot lead heading to the 15th hole in his final round, but three consecutive bogeys and two Bradley birdies erased that lead posthaste.

Now both players will move on to No. 18, where each made par in the final round. Both Bradley and Dufner needed long lag putts to get close enough to two-putt for par.

In the first of three playoff holes, tour rookie Keegan Bradley and unknown Jason Dufner traded dead-on tee shots, then traded incredible approach shots, both within 15 feet of the hole. Heck, Dufner was a few inches from chipping in from more than 150 yards away.

It was Dufner who blinked first, though, just hooking his birdie putt left by a hair. Bradley sunk his birdie putt — he was slightly closer than Dufner — and now has a one-stroke lead going into hole 17, where just an hour ago, he hit the best putt of the tournament, a 30+-foot birdie putt to essentially force this playoff.

After a stunningly long birdie putt fell on hole 17 for Keegan Bradley followed back-to-back-to-back bogeys by Jason Dufner on holes 15-17 brought the two golfers to a tie on the 18th hole at 8-under apiece.

Bradley and Dufner played the hole identically, both kicking their drives onto fairway off the slope of a bunker, then landing their second shots on the green more than 40 feet away from the hole, but safely clearing the water that consumed so many aggressive iron shots.

Jason Dufner had a four-stroke lead after hole 14, when he watched Keegan Bradley triple bogey 15. Then, Dufner hit in the water on 15, too, but managed to save the hole with a bogey.

Saving is not how you’d describe his next two holes, as he went bogey-bogey to open the door for Keegan Bradley, who proceeded to birdie 16 and 17, bringing the PGA Championship down to the wire.

Keegan Bradley has just made a major move on just one shot, surging to a tie at the top of the 2011 PGA Championship leaderboard with an eagle on the par-five 12th hole. He is now at 9-under par, tied with Jason Dufner and one shot ahead of Robert Karlsson, who also eagles No. 12.

Bradley put himself in position for an eagle putt when he hit his second shot to within only a couple feet of the hole. He tapped in for the eagle putt easily, and now pushes on to No. 13. Karlsson hit a par on No. 13 to remain one shot off the pace with five holes to go.

What a day it’s been for Robert Karlsson at the 2011 PGA Championship. The Sweedish golfer began the day well down the PGA Championship leaderboard, but has surged all the way up to just one shot off the lead of Jason Dufner. Karlsson is six-under on the day and just hit an eagle on the par-five 12th hole.

Overall, Karlsson is at 8-under, one shot behind Dufner. Dufner remains at nine-under after the front nine and is at two-under on the day. Keegan Bradley has fallen back to seven-under after bogeying the par-four ninth. Anders Hansen is alone in fourth place at six-under, while David Toms and Scott Verplank are tied for fifth at five-under.

Steady as she goes for PGA Championship leader Jason Dufner who, has birdied two of his past three holes to storm to 9-under ahead of Keegan Bradley, at 8-under, to lead the tournament at Atlanta Athletic Club.

Dufner and Bradley have been unable to separate themselves from the pack as Swede Robert Karlsson is 6-under, and there’s a host of dangerous names threatening, such as the world’s top-ranked player, Luke Donald (-5), and Stevie Williams Adam Scott, Lee Westwood and 2001 PGA Champion David Toms are all tied at 4-under.

The 2011 PGA Championship leaderboard won’t really change at the top until later Sunday, but there are quite a few golfers that have already finished their final round at the Atlanta Athletic Club. The best score from those already in the clubhouse came from Pablo Larrazabal who scored a four-under 66 in the fourth round.

Unfortunately for the Spanish driver, Larrazabal’s success came a little too late.

↵The bad news for Rickie Fowler: he finished with a +6 at the 2011 PGA Championship, which is nowhere near the leaders. The good news for Rickie Fowler: nobody’s topping his outfit on Saturday. If only they gave out prize money for fashion originality.

↵Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

With 18 holes to play in the 2011 PGA Championship, Brendan Steele and Jason Dufner are tied atop the leaderboard and one-shot clear of the field. The two will join each other for the final round, playing in the Sunday’s final group at Atlanta Athletic Club. And after a wild three days that saw Tiger Woods miss the cut, Rory McIlroy injure his wrist hitting off a branch and many of the favorites falter, Sunday promises to be both action-packed and unpredictable.

Dufner worked his way back into the lead after bogeys on the 12th and 14th hole put him at even-par for the round on Sunday. He bounced-back with birdies on the 15th and 16th, two of the toughest holes on the course, while playing the final four holes at 2-under.

The third round of the 2011 PGA Championship is in the books and the top of the leaderboard may look unfamiliar to most casual fans. Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods are nowhere to be seen -- the latter of which didn’t make the cut -- and the rest of the players atop the leaderboard are far from household names. Atlanta Athletic Club has turned a field of elite professional golfers upside-down, chewing them up and spitting them out.

Brendan Steele and Jason Dufner lead at 7-under, followed closely by Keegan Bradley, who sits one shot back at 6-under for the tournament. Looking further down the leaderboard, Masters champion Charl Schwartzel and Adam Scott are among a group at 2-under, tied for eighth place.

Jason Dufner and Brendan Steele will be the last golfers on the course on Sunday at the PGA Championship after turning in excellent third rounds on Saturday. Steele carded a 4-under 66, one of the best rounds of the day, to push his score to 7-under, coming from behind to nab a share of the lead. Dufner, playing in Saturday’s final pairing, recorded birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 to card a third-round 68 to get to 7-under for the tournament, as well.

Keegan Bradley is in hot pursuit of the leaders after carding a 1-under 69 while playing alongside Dufner. Bradley is at 6-under for the tournament and one-shot back of the lead heading into the final round. Scott Verplank finished his round with a flourish on Saturday, pushing his score to 5-under for the tournament, good for fourth-place.

Jason Dufner is still flying down the home-stretch of the third round in the PGA Championship, making the last four holes look easy so far. Dufner birdied the 15th and 16th holes with excellent approaches and putts, doing something few have done at Atlanta Athletic Club. On 17, after hitting a superb tee-shot into the par three, Dufner just barely missed a birdie, with his putt failing to fall by the slimmest of margins. Instead, he walked away with a par, and still shares the lead.

Brendan Steele is in the clubhouse with the lead after carding a third-round 66. Steele sits at 7-under for the tournament and is looking like a seasoned veteran at the PGA Championship, not a man playing in his first major. He’ll likely play in the final group of the day on Sunday, barring something miraculous.

All of a sudden, here comes Jason Dufner at the PGA Championship. The man with the weird waggle that closely resembles that of any amateur is on fire on back-nine and has suddenly vaulted up the leaderboard and into a tie for first-place. Dufner walked off the 15th green with a birdie to get to 6-under, then did it again on 16 to push his score to 7-under, tied with Brendan Steele for the lead. Remember: these are the beginning of a difficult four-hole stretch that has eaten golfers alive throughout the day.

Meanwhile on the 18th hole, the CBS announcers are begging golfers to hit the fairway, and none have obliged recently. The leaders are making an absolute mess of the finishing hole at Atlanta Athletic Club, and it hasn’t been pretty. Jim Furyk rinsed two of his balls before almost jarring his third shot of the day, and will have a look at double-bogey. As we said earlier, this could be a preview of Sunday, when the winner may be the player who is able to limp away from the final four holes with but a flesh wound.

The leaders of the 2011 PGA Championship are on the final four holes, and this could serve as a preview of Sunday. On the Atlanta Athletic Club course, holes 15 through 18 are a monstrous stretch, with hazards everywhere and big scores lurking should a player miss their spots. Playing the last four at even-par is great, and could win the championship for any of those who are able to brave the tough stretch while in contention on Sunday.

But for now, it’s Brendan Steele hanging on for dear life, navigating 15 and 16 expertly. The finish line for Saturday’s third round is in sight for Steele, and if he’s able to avoid the big number, he’ll sleep with the lead and play in the final group. Behind him, Keegan Bradley is chasing, two shots back of the lead through 15 holes. His playing partner, Jason Dufner, is also two shots back after carding a rare birdie on No. 15. Both are at 6-under for the tournament.

Brendan Steele suddenly finds himself alone atop the leaderboard at the 2011 PGA Championship as he continues to surge in Saturday’s third round. Steele is through 15 holes and 5-under for the day, moving to 8-under for the tournament. With a strong round going, he has a cushion to work with, holding a two-shot advantage over the field.

Steele is chased by Jason Dufner and Keegan Bradley, who are each at 6-under for the tournament. The two are playing together in the final group of the day after tying for the lead through two rounds. Both players are at 1-under for the day and 6-under for the tournament.

The unlikeliest of golfers sit atop the PGA Championship leaderboard midway through Saturday’s third round, but in a week that’s seen Tiger Woods miss the cut and many of the other contenders falter, it should come at no surprise. Brendan Steele and Jason Dufner are two shots clear of the field during Saturday’s round, sharing the lead at 7-under for the tournament. Steele is through 12 holes while Dufner, playing in the final group, is through 10.

Jim Furyk is climbing the leaderboard, currently in a tie for third at 5-under for the tournament. He’s joined in third-place by Keegan Bradley, who opened his day with a double-bogey after sharing the lead through 36 holes. The two are one-shot clear of Steve Stricker, who sits alone in fifth place.

The 2011 PGA Championship’s leaderboard has yet to see too much change considering just 27 golfers are through the third round. David Toms did what he could to change that and make his way to the top, however, by shooting a five-under 65 as part of Saturday’s first group.

Toms is currently in a tie for 11th place on the leaderboard, but he could still move up if any of the top ten guys struggle when they tee off later Saturday afternoon.

Noted golf enthusiast Tiger Woods’ 2011 PGA Championship probably could not have gone worse. Woods missed the cut after shooting 10-over par in the first two days of the tournament. It is the first time Woods missed the cut in 14 career PGA Championship starts.

For the most part, Woods was disappointed in his performance. However, he did also have some degree of optimism, even in a horrendous finish. Via Reuters.

Day two of the PGA Championship is in the books and the leaderboard is filled with unfamiliar faces. Tiger Woods is not among the competitors set to navigate the course on Saturday after two dismal days left him way outside the cut line. The missed cut is just Woods’ third in a major, and first since 2009.

Jason Dufner and Keegan Bradley are tied atop the leaderboard after finishing their Fridays at 5-under for the tournament. The two are being chased by a group of four at 4-under, including Jim Furyk and Scott Verplank. Among the other notables: Rory McIlroy is at 3-over and playing with an injured wrist, Phil Mickelson is plodding along at 1-over and Lee Westwood is at 1-under.

Steve Stricker is receiving a stiff challenge atop the leaderboard. Four men sit in second place at four-under overall. Included in that list is Adam Scott who, with caddie Steve Williams in tow, birdied three of his first five holes before hitting par on his next six. D.A. Points, Jerry Kelley and Scott Verplank join Scott at four-under for the tournament, pushing them closer to Stricker, who, after a bogey on six, is plus-one for the day and at plus-six overall.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods continues to struggle, including a terrible attempt at a 20-foot putt on the seventh hole. A birdie on eight saved some face, but he still has a long way to go to even hope of making the cut. The projected cut is currently at four-over. Woods, one-over through eight holes and plus-eight overall, needs to find his swing quickly.

Tiger Woods stumbled through his second-worst round ever at a major on Day 1 of the PGA Championship, shooting a 77 on Thursday. Only the 81 he shot at the 2002 British Open was worse. He now sits 14 shots off the lead behind leader Steve Stricker, with the cut looming after Friday’s second round of play.

Woods said he got away from the mechanics of his new swing, trying to explain his poor performance. He has seemingly lost trust in his swing, leading to overly cautious play.