Strong run in majors has Dufner smiling

You may not be able to tell by looking at him, but Jason Dufner is excited to go back to Augusta National.

With the 2013 PGA Championship in his pocket and enough positive experience at the Masters Tournament, the most mellow guy from Auburn believes he possesses what it takes to win a green jacket.

“I’ve had a pretty good run the last two years in majors,” Dufner said. “I haven’t missed a cut. Had some good finishes. Had probably three or four legitimate chances to win the events going into Sunday. So I’m excited about what’s around the corner for me at the Masters.”

So excited in fact that Dufner couldn’t wait for Masters Week to get there. In each of his previous three Masters starts, Dufner arrived at Augusta National Golf Club eight days before the tournament began and never left. He planned to arrive the Wednesday before again this year.

“I go there early to practice and prepare because I don’t think you can go anywhere else in the world to get ready to play Augusta,” he said. “You’re either going to be playing or practicing. So why not play and practice where you’re going to be playing?”

The calm before the Masters storm is perfectly suited to Dufner’s languid personality.

“I can just go there and get away. No cell phones are allowed so it’s an easy way for me to check out and get ready for the Masters,” he said. “They treat us fantastic there. You have the run of the house. My coach goes with me and we just get some work done.”

His coach, Chuck Cook, has been instrumental in Dufner’s ascent after eight years of struggling to gain traction. Dufner often refers to pro golf as “one percent or two percent of sunshine and the rest of the time it’s raining out here.” After a decade of mostly rain, the sun has shown through the last few years as he’s become one of the game’s elite.

A solid year in 2009 led Dufner to believe he could attain more than rank-and-file paychecks.

“You get more comfortable out here, you start to realize you can be competitive out here and play well out here, and it just frees you up,” he said.

Winning a major might free Dufner up even more now that he’s got a five-year exemption on tour and into all the majors.

“I think winning the major has definitely settled my mind a little bit, so to speak,” he said.

Very little about Dufner ever seemed unsettled. He is one of golf’s unique characters in a very different way. His demeanor reveals nothing on the course, and he considers his constant even-keel a major strength.

“A lot of people on Twitter says they watch me and try to emulate me and it’s helped their golf game,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to duplicate, I think. I seem to be one of a kind when it comes to that.

“It’s not like I have to put my game face on or have to hold back emotions out there on purpose. That’s just kind of naturally who I am.”

Most golf fans had probably never heard of Dufner until the 2011 PGA in Atlanta when he had a five-shot lead with four to play but lost in a playoff to his friend Keegan Bradley. But rather than limp away scarred, that performance lifted Dufner to another level, which he showed two years later with his PGA win at Oak Hill.

“I was probably over what happened in Atlanta, 95 percent of it, by the time we got back home at Auburn,” Dufner said. “You always carry those scars with you; (Bradley) always jabbed at me a little bit about having one of these (Wanamaker Trophy) in his house, and thanks for giving it to him and all that stuff. And now I’ve got one, too. It’s pretty neat to come back and win a PGA, to be honest with you.”

The Masters might be a logical next step. Dufner shared the 36-hole lead with Fred Couples in 2012. He’s never missed a Masters cut in three starts, but each year he’s faded with 75 on Saturday.

“I love the golf course. I love the event. I’ve been right there at the lead or leading going into Saturday,” he said. “Saturday seems to be a tough day for me. It seems to be a tough day for the field.

“I think Saturday is probably the toughest setup and I think the hole locations get extremely difficult. I think they test you on Saturday knowing that it will get a little bit easier on Sunday.”

If anyone questions Dufner’s enthusiasm, they shouldn’t question his desire. Winning the PGA only enhanced it.

“I think winning one … it’s made me a little hungrier to be competitive and win more events, more majors, be part of the Ryder Cup teams, part of the Presidents Cup teams,” he said. “I’m pretty good at thinking ahead and moving forward.”