Jason Dufner comes from 4 strokes behind to win Memorial

DUBLIN, Ohio – Jason Dufner never lost sight of the big picture even after losing a big lead. It paid off for him Sunday when he rallied from a four-shot deficit and holed a 30-foot par putt on the 18th to close out a victory in the Memorial.

Dufner lost a five-shot lead in the third round. He started the final round facing a four-shot deficit. And then he played his best golf on the back nine, and kept his composure during two rain delays, to close with a 4-under 68 and win by three shots.

"Yesterday was not my best day," Dufner said of his 77. "But I had to get over it quick. It's a 72-hole tournament, there's a lot of things that can happen."

He finished at 13-under 275. With his fifth PGA Tour victory, he joined tournament host Jack Nicklaus as the only Ohio-born winners of the Memorial.

Rickie Fowler, in prime position to force a playoff on the 18th hole by making birdie, instead made bogey after Dufner ended it with his big par putt. Fowler shot 70 and tied for second with Anirban Lahiri, who closed with a 65.

Justin Thomas missed consecutive short birdie putts that stopped any momentum he had. Matt Kuchar fell back with three bogeys on the back nine. They finished another shot behind. Daniel Summerhays, who began the final round with a three-shot lead, began the back nine with two straight bogeys and finished with a double bogey for a 78.

Dufner set the 36-hole scoring record at Muirfield Village. No one would have been surprised Friday afternoon that he would be shaking hands with Nicklaus at the end of the tournament.

Dufner got back into the mix Sunday when Summerhays lost his three-shot lead after four holes. Over the next five hours — with 2½ hours' worth of rain delays — four players had at least a share of the lead.

Dufner played the front nine in even par, and not only did he hit every green until the 18th on the back nine, all but one of his birdie chances came from 12 feet or closer.

He made it more exciting than he preferred on the 18th by driving into thick rough just short of the bunker, and hacking out into more rough. He put his third shot to just over 30 feet on the 18th. Fowler, who pulled his wedge left of the green, had Dufner go first to make sure Fowler would have needed to hole the birdie chip to have a chance. Dufner ended the suspense with a putt and a rare show of emotion, slamming down his fist.

Suddenly, he can start thinking about reaching the Tour Championship and possibly playing in the Presidents Cup.