Is Jason Duffner for real ?

[Beachbabe]

I'm thinkin' he is. Been finishing in the top 20 almost every tourney this year.Has won 2 of the last 3 tournaments and is, right now, the leader in the clubhouse at 11 under in The Crowne Plaza at Colonial.
He may not look the part with his slight pot belly; and he's as emotional as a cadaver, but the guy can play some golf.

[DJofSD]

They had him on the GC program "On the Range" and it seemed like there was a normal person responding to the questions.

He leaves me with the impression of being mentally tough. Could be the toughest dog in the pack now that Tiger has fallen from the mountain top.

I was rooting for him last week and I'll do so again this weekend. Just for fun, I'd like to see either Kuch or Rickie paired with him on Sunday. Those 3 played the opening round together yesterday.

[Bettowin]

I saw him for the first time when he won the Nationwide event in town before he made the Tour. You could tell he had what it would take to compete at the next level beside the golf talent. Ben Crane was another one that stood out on the Nationwide when he came through town.

I don't see Dufner going away any time soon unless he has a bad injury.

[Greyfox]

I thought that he was a flash in the pan last year when he almost won the PGA Major.
He reminded me of Craig Stadler, but not quite as rotund.
Dufner likely looked at the tape of that event too.
This year he is comparatively slimmer than the porker he was last August.
And look at the play that he has been showing the last few weeks. He's been good, poker face and all.
At 35 years old, he's certainly a late bloomer. But boy has he bloomed.
I don't recall him being on any of the golf writers' or commentators radar before last fall. He's on their screens now.

Years ago a 28 year old golfer came on the PGA tour.
He had been in the Navy and no one ever heard of him.
He won a tournament and nobody thought much of it. He had an unusual swing which the experts said couldn't last.
Oh, he's still alive today. His name is Lee Trevino.

[DJofSD]

Ben Crane is one of my son's favorite players. He was the first touring player my son got an autograph. He was likely the inspiration behind the formation of the Golf Boys.

[Bettowin]

Ben Crane is one of my son's favorite players. He was the first touring player my son got an autograph. He was likely the inspiration behind the formation of the Golf Boys.

He is a great guy. Signed autographs for a long time when he was in town. He actually won after getting into the field on a Monday qualifier. I followed him on his last 9 and talked to his girlfriend and buddy who were also following him. He was in the zone:)

[DJofSD]

JD -- the new one, not the old one -- still on top. Zack made up 2 strokes and could have tied on the 18th. It'll be fun to watch tomorrow.

I wonder if Vegas has a line on the whether they'll be a play off or not.

[DJofSD]

He is a great guy. Signed autographs for a long time when he was in town. He actually won after getting into the field on a Monday qualifier. I followed him on his last 9 and talked to his girlfriend and buddy who were also following him. He was in the zone:)
Ben had an eagle 2 yesterday.

[Greyfox]

Ben had an eagle 2 yesterday.

Yes. That shot moved the cut line.

[raybo]

I thought that he was a flash in the pan last year when he almost won the PGA Major.
He reminded me of Craig Stadler, but not quite as rotund.
Dufner likely looked at the tape of that event too.
This year he is comparatively slimmer than the porker he was last August.
And look at the play that he has been showing the last few weeks. He's been good, poker face and all.
At 35 years old, he's certainly a late bloomer. But boy has he bloomed.
I don't recall him being on any of the golf writers' or commentators radar before last fall. He's on their screens now.

Years ago a 28 year old golfer came on the PGA tour.
He had been in the Navy and no one ever heard of him.
He won a tournament and nobody thought much of it. He had an unusual swing which the experts said couldn't last.
Oh, he's still alive today. His name is Lee Trevino.

True about Lee (he's from Dallas and my best friend and racing mentor went to school with him), but what most people don't know is that he practiced every day in high school, rain or shine, not at a practice/driving range but in a school yard or where ever else he could find an open field, purposely hitting out of the worst lies he could find. That guy was obsessed with the game of golf and had no formal lessons in the beginning. He learned to "play" his natural swing, it wasn't taught to him. It wasn't until later that his then boss, at a driving range where Lee worked part time, started helping Lee with his game.

While other teenagers were playing football, baseball, etc., or chasing the girls, Lee was practicing his golf.

[Beachbabe]

Well after writing about Jamie Ness at Delaware, he proceeded to get only one win since.
Now after writing about Jason Duffner, the wheels came off for him on the back nine & he losses the tourney to Zack Johnson......who, in the realm of improbability, forgets to move his marker back on the 18th green after first moving it a club's head length to get out of the way of Duffner's put. That cost Johnson two strokes and he wins by one.

Beach"mush"

[ElKabong]

True about Lee (he's from Dallas and my best friend and racing mentor went to school with him), but what most people don't know is that he practiced every day in high school, rain or shine, not at a practice/driving range but in a school yard or where ever else he could find an open field, purposely hitting out of the worst lies he could find. That guy was obsessed with the game of golf and had no formal lessons in the beginning. He learned to "play" his natural swing, it wasn't taught to him. It wasn't until later that his then boss, at a driving range where Lee worked part time, started helping Lee with his game.

While other teenagers were playing football, baseball, etc., or chasing the girls, Lee was practicing his golf.

He earned a ton of money where I played into my late teens (Tennison in Dallas). The guy hustled suckers for a livable wage- good for him.

He'd show up at the old clubhouse looking like a modest fellow, play juuust good enough to beat his opponent for months on end...word would get out he was nearly unbeatble, then he'd go to Kessler Park or Cedar Crest to do the same. The guy is my hero darn near.

And, one helluva nice guy from all those I've known that either knew him, or came across his path

As a kid my folks were members at Glen Garden in Ft Worth, the club where Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson were caddies at the same time in their youth. Man, the stories the club folks would tell about them....But Ben, as revered as he was, wasn't accessable. He spent his time at Colonial, and was very aloof

Lee Trevino is an American treasure. Plan and simple

[raybo]

He earned a ton of money where I played into my late teens (Tennison in Dallas). The guy hustled suckers for a livable wage- good for him.

He'd show up at the old clubhouse looking like a modest fellow, play juuust good enough to beat his opponent for months on end...word would get out he was nearly unbeatble, then he'd go to Kessler Park or Cedar Crest to do the same. The guy is my hero darn near.

And, one helluva nice guy from all those I've known that either knew him, or came across his path

As a kid my folks were members at Glen Garden in Ft Worth, the club where Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson were caddies at the same time in their youth. Man, the stories the club folks would tell about them....But Ben, as revered as he was, wasn't accessable. He spent his time at Colonial, and was very aloof

Lee Trevino is an American treasure. Plan and simple

Yeah, at Tennison he'd challenge someone to a round for a dollar or 2 per hole, and he would tell them he would play with a Coke bottle. At least that's what my friend told me anyway. Said he made pretty decent money doing stuff like that.

Lots of Trevino stories out there.

[DJofSD]

... Zack Johnson......who, in the realm of improbability, forgets to move his marker back on the 18th green after first moving it a club's head length to get out of the way of Duffner's put. That cost Johnson two strokes and he wins by one.


Could have been worse. A lot worse. If he had not corrected his score card to include the two stroke penalty, he would have been DQ'd for signing an incorrect score card.

As far as moving the ball marker goes, there is a player (whose name escapes me at the moment -- Tiger?) that always puts a coin on the green face up unless it is moved, and then, it is flipped so it is tails up. I taught my son to always do the same except our markers are colored on one side and silver on the other which is tails. Silver side up means you need to adjust the position of the coin on the green before replacing the ball.

Ian Poulter last year got dinged for moving his marker when he accidentally dropped his ball on it and it moved.

[raybo]

Yeah, this is something easy to forget, moving the ball back to it's original marked position. What I do is, of course, use some landmark (a tree or other distinct object) from which I determine the line that my adjusted marker will align with. Then after moving the marker, I walk to the edge of the green, away from the mark and landmark, and lay my putter down with the putter head pointing back to the mark and landmark. By laying down the putter, I have to then pick it up before I can putt, which tells me that the marker is not in it's original position, and also points to the line and landmark I used to adjust the mark.

If I don't have to adjust the mark then I don't lay the putter down at all.

Just something I started doing years ago after forgetting to move my marker back, and a playing partner caught it.

Your method probably wouldn't work for me, as I would probably not notice that one side of the marker is up or down, my mind is on the putt, not the marker. My way forces me to pick up the putter first, my key that the marker is wrong. Probably over doing it but, to my knowledge, I have never made that mistake since.

[DJofSD]

Raybo, I don't think I've ever seen any one do it that way. But, if it works for you, that is all that matters.

[Greyfox]

When the gangsters in my foursome lift their markers and replace a ball they gain more ground than some NFL backs.

[DJofSD]

Here's yet another way some players will remember to move their ball marker on the green back to the correct spot.

From Barry Rhodes:
I have a good tip for Zach Johnson and all of you who read this blog. When I mark my ball to the side on the putting green I turn my putter upside down and hold it by the club-head. This acts as a trigger for me to replace the ball when it is my turn to putt. I understand that Tiger Woods flips his coin to the ‘wrong’ side in the same situation. It works for us (!) and I recommend that you use a similar trigger.
BTW, Tiger does use a quarter and he does invert so that it is tails up when he's moved it. And, the quarter is a '58 -- 58 being his go low goal.

[Greyfox]

Here's yet another way some players will remember to move their ball marker on the green back to the correct spot.

From Barry Rhodes:

BTW, Tiger does use a quarter and he does invert so that it is tails up when he's moved it. And, the quarter is a '58 -- 58 being his go low goal.

Hmm? Apparently "tail" has more than one meaning to Tiger. Hmm....

[DJofSD]

Ok, maybe I should have used the word reverse.