08/14 at 11:23 PM

Not bad for a walk-on.

Not bad at all.

Even if Jason Dufner did finish second at the 93rd PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club on Sunday, it was still a tip-your-hat performance from a local guy who seemingly couldn’t miss on one of the toughest courses in major championship history.

Even if he did falter down the stretch, the former Auburn All-American gave the golf world a thrill and almost became the school’s first major winner.

Instead, Dufner lost in a three-hole playoff to fearless Keegan Bradley, a rookie who was playing in his first major. Ever. 

And the runner-up finish left Dufner still looking for his first Tour win. Ever.

Up four strokes with three holes to play in regulation, Dufner succumbed to the pressure, bogeying Nos. 15, 16 and 17, before salvaging a par on 18 to force a playoff.

“Those are just tough holes,” Dufner told CBS after his round.

Bradley, meanwhile, birdied 16 and 17 to get back in it.

But what a ride for Dufner, who, on Fan Day of all days, made golf relevant on the Plains.

Dufner, 34, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, walked on at Auburn in 1996, picking up the game of golf just a few years earlier at the age of 15. Two seasons after arriving, he was an honorable mention All-American. He was also a three-time All-SEC selection in 1997, ’98 and 2000.

He still lives in Auburn.

He plays at Moore’s Mill.

He’s a huge fan of the school he played for, especially the football team.

And Auburn’s pretty fond of him as well.

The TVs at Auburn Arena during Fan Day on Sunday were tuned in on the PGA Championship, with everyone there cheering for the local pro when they weren’t getting an autograph from Philip Lutzenkirchen and the memory of his newly shaved mustache.

Dufner’s goal this year? To win enough money to follow the Tigers around this fall.

Not a bad gig.

Not bad at all.

And even though he didn’t win the season’s final major, Sunday’s second-place finished earned him a cool $865,000.

Throw that on top of the $1.6 million he’s already earned this year, and I’d say he’s got enough to hitch rides to Clemson, Columbia, Fayetteville, Baton Rouge and Athens this fall.

And let’s not forget, it’s not just about golf or football for the former Tiger.

Dufner, whose girlfriend is from Montgomery and went to the University of Alabama, created “Birdies for Bama,” which is an effort to raise money and help for those in need after the devastating tornadoes ripped through the state on April 27. He’s donating $100 for every birdie and $500 for every eagle he makes in an event through the end of the PGA season.

His 18 birdies and eagle netted $2,300 at the PGA Championship.

Not bad.

A quiet guy, who is all business on the course, was tied for the 36- and 54-hole leads, putting Auburn back in the national spotlight. It’s been, what, seven months since Auburn’s had a championship?

And he almost pulled it off.

You wouldn’t have known it though, as Dufner was just as cool, calm and collected in his loss as he was with a four-stroke lead and the Wanamaker Trophy all but secure.

The guy never changed. Even with the pressure slamming down on him as it began to slip away, Dufner never flinched.

He sure as heck acted like a major champion, even though he’s never won a single event.

A pro’s pro – waggles and all.

And it’s not a surprise. At all.

Neither was his response just seconds after Bradley tapped in for par to win the playoff and tournament.

“There’s a lot to be learned from this,” he told CBS golf analyst Peter Kostis on the 18th green, “a lot of experience to be gained from this.”

And Dufner will.

A pro’s pro.

Not bad.

Not bad at all.

MIKE SZVETITZ is sports editor of the Opelika-Auburn News. He may be reached at or 737-2513.