Dufner Wins 2012 HP Byron Nelson Championship
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Playing in the last group, Jason Dufner drained a 25′ 5″ birdie putt on the 72nd hole to defeat Dicky Pride by one stroke to win the 2012 HP Byron Nelson Championship (his second win in his last three TOUR starts). Pride, who was in the next-to-last group, had just drained a 22′ 7″ par putt on the 72nd hole to finish 10-under.
Dufner’s second PGA TOUR title comes just three weeks after his first win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He wins at the age of 35 years, 1 month and 26 days. Dufner’s win comes in his 166th start on TOUR and is his 20th top-10 finish. With the victory, he extends his fully exempt status through the 2015 season. In his last eight starts on the PGA TOUR (32 total rounds) and dating to a share of the first-round lead at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship, Dufner has held at least a share of the lead after a round 10 times.
Dufner is now two for four when holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead, winning the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and HP Byron Nelson Championship. He becomes first 54-hole leader/co-leader to go on to win the HP Byron Nelson Championship since Adam Scott (2008).
With his victory, Jason Dufner collects 500 points and moves from No. 12 to No. 1 in the FedExCup standings. With 1,435 points, he leads Hunter Mahan by 40 points.
Playing out of the Past Champions category and making his 380th career PGA TOUR start, Dicky Pride finished runner-up for a career-high third top-10 finish of the season (T5-Mayakoba Golf Classic, T7-The Honda Classic). Pride’s lone win on the PGA TOUR came at the 1994 FedEx St. Jude Classic. This week marked the first runner-up finish of his career (18 top-10 finishes). Had he won this week, Pride would have set the PGA TOUR record for longest time between victories, a span of 17 years, 9 months, 19 days. The current record is held by Robert Gamez, with a time span of 15 years, 6 months.
Pride, who is making just his seventh start of the season this week, got his year off on the right foot with back-to-back top-10 finishes. At the Mayakoba Golf Classic, he posted T5 honors, which earned him
a spot in the field the following week at The Honda Classic. That start yielded a T7 finish.
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J.J. Henry (T3) had a hole-in-one on the par-3 fifth hole with a pitching wedge from 154 yards. It is the third of his career (and second in 2012): 2007 AT&T Classic, 2012 Puerto Rico Open, 2012 HP Byron Nelson Championship. Henry’s ace was the 25th of the season on TOUR.
Henry was seeking to become the first player to make a hole-in-one en route to winning a tournament since Steve Stricker at the 2011 Memorial Tournament. The last to make a hole-in-one in the final round to win was Jonathan Byrd at the 2010 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (fourth playoff hole). Prior to Sunday, the last player to make a hole-in-one at the HP Byron Nelson Championship was Ken Duke on the second hole in 2010 (R2).
Henry’s T3 finish is his best finish since a runner-up effort at the 2010 Turning Stone Resort Championship. He was
seeking the second win of his career (2006 Travelers Championship). Henry now owns two top-10 finishes in 16 starts this season (T9-Mayakoba Golf Classic).
Joe Durant, who was the last player in the field after Joe Ogilvie withdrew on Thursday with a shoulder injury, closed with a 5-under 65 to finish T3. He began the week onsite at the Nationwide Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am but decided to drive to Atlanta to catch a flight to Dallas as he moved up the alternate list at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Durant closed with rounds of 65-65—130, just one stroke shy of the lowest closing 36-hole score on TOUR this season (129, Robert Garrigus, Humana Challenge). Durant’s finish is his best on TOUR since a runner-up effort at the 2010 Mayakoba Golf Classic.
2010 HP Byron Nelson Championship winner Jason Day has top-10 finishes in all three starts at the event (1-2010, 5-2011, T9-2012).
Matt Kuchar, winner of last week’s PLAYERS Championship, finished T15 this week and kept a streak alive of never having missed a cut at the HP Byron Nelson Championship (T39-2007, T42-2008, T39-2009, T6-2011, T15-2012). He also notched his PGA TOUR-leading 18th consecutive made cut.
Phil Mickelson (T7) made his 14th start at the HP Byron Nelson Championship and first since a T3 finish in 2007. His win in 1996 is one of five top-10 finishes at the event (1-1996, T6-1998, T2-2000, T3-2007, T7-2012).
Vijay Singh finished T9 for his first top-10 finish since the 2001 Barclays (T3). It marks the 21st consecutive season he has notched at least one top-10 finish (176 total).
Pat Perez finished T9 for his first top-10 finish of the season (13 starts). He, like Singh, also has at least one top-10 finish each year of his career (11 seasons).
1995 HP Byron Nelson Championship winner Ernie Els made his first visit to the event since a T13 in 2006. He owns four top-10 finishes in nine starts (1-1995, T4-2002, T7-2004, T10-2005), with a T41 finish this week.
Ken Duke finished T7 for his fourth top-10 finish of the season.
Jonas Blixt (T3) carded his third-straight top 15 (T13-Zurich Classic of New Orleans, T9-Wells Fargo Championship).
See our 2012 HP Byron Nelson photo galleries:
