Here's to you Mr. Dufner

Going through a loss is part of life. It is something we all experience in one form or another. For me lately it has been losing my girlfriend and my cousin moving to California for nursing school. In the last of a month I have packed up the two people I spent almost everyday of the last year with, loaded their cars and watched them drive out of my life. It’s left me at a loss of companionship and my support system. Naturally I’ve been looking for stories of good things happening to people who have or are experiencing loss, little did I know that I wouldn’t have to look any further for a story than the PGA Championship.

In the last major championship of the season (side note: Thank God football is close.) Jason Dufner finally broke through and won a major. Dufner has been close before at the US Open the last two years he has finished in a tie for fourth place. He has had good showings at the PGA Championship as well, finishing in a tie for fifth in 2010. In 2011 Dufner found himself three holes from his first major and up five strokes over Keegan Bradley. His lead would evaporate as he bogeyed the last three holes while Bradley birdied the last two holes to force a playoff. On the first hole of the three-hole playoff, Bradley birdied and Dufner never made that stroke up, losing by one stroke. That was a crushing defeat for the stoic young man.

After watching Dufner for years I see a lot of similarities between us. We aren’t very emotional, we don’t get too down or get too excited, we are introverted and hold most things in. Knowing how I react to circumstances, that loss in Atlanta to Keegan Bradley was on his mind for a long time. He probably relived those last three holes over and over again in his mind. “Still water runs deep” that’s how my grandpa describes me. He goes on to say “On the surface it may seem Josh has nothing going on, but deep down he has a million things going through his mind.” 

Dufner stand there and stripe balls down the middle of the fairway the last couple of holes was impressive, even on his miscue the second shot on 18 he stepped up confidently and chipped the ball on the green securing his victory. In his typical stoic way Dufner’s face was only fractionally different from his first drive to his final putt. Probably the most amped person watching Dufner finish the win was none other than Keegan Bradley who came back to the 18th green to watch Dufner close out his first major. Bradley rushed in to hug Dufner before he went to sign his scoreboard, very classy Mr. Bradley, very Bradley. So here’s to being persistent and refusing to stay down and here’s to you Mr. Dufner, you’re an inspiration!