Call it the Escape from Alcatraz.
Jason Dufner’s tee shot on the island-green par-3 17th – named after the infamous San Francisco prison – at PGA West’s TPC Stadium Course on Sunday went long and landed in some rocks in a hazard just off the grass. Tied with David Lingmerth at 25 under par, Dufner couldn’t take a penalty stroke. He needed to try to pull off the miracle up-and-down. With his ball laying between two rocks on a gravel lie, Dufner struck the ball and got it rolling toward the hole. The ball caromed off the pin to within tap-in range for an astounding par.
When Lingmerth and Dufner both made par on the final hole of regulation, the duo returned to the 18th tee for the first playoff hole. After a pair of shaky pars on the first extra hole, they went back to play 18 for a third time that day. Both players missed the fairway, but Lingmerth played first from the right rough, and he pulled his second shot off the rocks and into the guarding water hazard.
Dufner, aware of his advantage, found the putting surface and, after the Swede couldn’t hole out for an unlikely par following a drop, then he two-putted for a par and the victory at the CareerBuilder Challenge.
For the Auburn product, it’s his fourth PGA Tour win and first since winning the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill in Rochester, N.Y.
Before the drama at the 17th, the tournament had become a two-man race.
Phil Mickelson, making his 2016 debut, Kevin Na and Andrew Loupe all finished tied for third at 21 under par, each shooting 4-under 68 on Sunday.
Canadian Adam Hadwin and birthday boy Jamie Lovemark had their chances throughout the early portion of the round, but both slid with dropped shots and finished at 20-under 268 in a tie for sixth along with Luke List.
Defending champion Bill Haas and emerging South Korean Si Woo Kim finished tied for ninth at 19 under par.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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