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Jason Dufner: What Has Happened to Former Major Champion

By Tim Letcher

MEDINAH, IL - SEPTEMBER 29: Jason Dufner of the USA hits a tee shot during day two of the Afternoon Four-Ball Matches for The 39th Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club on September 29, 2012 in Medinah, Illinois. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
MEDINAH, IL - SEPTEMBER 29: Jason Dufner of the USA hits a tee shot during day two of the Afternoon Four-Ball Matches for The 39th Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club on September 29, 2012 in Medinah, Illinois. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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Jason Dufner was near the top of the golf world in 2013. The nearly emotionless Dufner won the PGA Championship, finished ninth in the Tour Championship, was 19th in the FedEx Cup standings and made the United States’ Presidents Cup team, where he went 3-1-0.

Dufner then went three seasons before winning on the PGA Tour again, as he claimed the title at the CareerBuilder Challenge in 2016.  He would ultimately finish the season at 19th place in the FedEx Cup standings.

The next season, he won the Memorial, one of only two top 10 results that season. Dufner did finish 30th in the FedEx Cup standings in 2017.

Since then, it’s been nothing but downhill for Dufner. In 2018, the former Auburn Tiger entered 22 events, missing eight cuts that season. He had only two top 10 finishes, one of which was a runner-up finish in the Zurich Classic, where he teamed with Pat Perez to come in second. Dufner made the playoffs, but he finished 100th in the FedEx Cup standings.

Last year was even worse for Dufner. He entered 25 events and missed the cut 12 times. He had two top 10 finishes, but nothing better than a tie for fourth at the Wells Fargo Championship. Dufner would finish 136th in the FedEx Cup standings, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

This season has been another tough one for Dufner. He has entered 11 tournaments and missed the cut five times. That’s 25 missed cuts in 58 events over the last three seasons. In 2020, Dufner’s best finish is a tie for 27th at the Honda Classic in March. He’s currently 186th in the FedEx Cup standings.

Dufner, who has fallen to 290th in the Official World Golf Rankings, has seen age catch up with him very quickly. Now 43 years old, Dufner has not really been a factor since turning 40. He’s running out of years if he’s going to recapture the magic of the 2012-2013 era. At this point, a resurgence does not seem likely for Dufner.

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