Duf won the 95th PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club with his iron play yesterday and throughout the weekend. A second round 63 didn’t hurt which included an eagle on the par 4 second hole. But the ball striking, particularly in the fairways, was superb. He stuck it close to the pin quite a few times in the final two rounds. Jason’s a good putter, and if he keeps on working on it, he could be a great putter. He made enough putts yesterday with the pressure on despite missing a couple at the end. But Duf certainly earned this one. Duf shot a final round 68 and with a birdie on the par-4 16th, he gave himself a three shot lead on Jim Furyk. Everybody else seemed to fall off besides Furyk, but Furyk hung pretty tough with his three or four step backs before he putted. They gotta put a clock on Furyk on the greens. That’s almost unbearable.

Duf was the man though. The 36 year old, who was born in Cleveland, Ohio and played golf at Auburn, showed a lot of  unflappability yesterday. He’s just totally in control of his emotions on the course, and that’s huge. Jason got married to the former Amanda Boyd in 2012 and Amanda was there to greet him after the victory. Jason was happy to see her. Keegan Bradley was one of the first guys I saw give Jason a power hug. They are good friends and that was a pretty special thing, as Keegan was the player who defeated Jason two years ago at the PGA in a playoff at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Jason kind of collapsed in that one, but he learned from it. He’s an elite player now. I hope he can keep his work ethic up because he can do some great things in the game if he does so.

Tiger and Phil were no where to be found. Phil was totally off his game. I don’t know what to think about Tiger. I’m below 50% for him breaking the majors record now. Not much below 50, but I’m starting to see some chinks in Tiger’s armor in the majors.He’s winning where he always wins; Torrey Pines, Bay Hill and Firestone, along with a couple of other victories this year he had at the Players and Doral. He’s been pretty good at Doral through the years and that was his second win at the Players, and it was very impressive. But something is not clicking in the majors for Tiger. It may be the pressure because he wants it so badly. But on the reverse side of that, I’m wondering if the drive is still there. All that emotion spent winning so many majors early in his career, the collapse of his marriage, his father passing away. It may have worn down his passion for the game some. I’m not counting him out, but he needs to figure out a way to prepare for these majors better. These guys have caught up and at times have surpassed him. If he still wants this, he’s going to have to be super- focused for the next eight or nine years. I’m putting it at nine because Jack was 46 when he won his last major at Augusta in 1986. Tiger will be 38 in December. Tiger is in such excellent shape; he’s certainly physically capable of doing it. But when he runs into adversity during majors, he seems to just want to get off of the course. He used to be the ultimate grinder, but now he seems a little tired. If he can refocus, he can still do this. But it’s getting harder. There are so many good players in their 20’s and 30’s and  young ones are coming up from everywhere. There are just a lot of marquee players right now and for the foreseeable future. There are always going to be great players. It’s a serious grind out there. We’ll see if Tiger still has the passion to get this done. His game has slipped some, at least in majors, and the competition is right there with him, if not ahead of him. He’s got some more opportunities this year with the Fed Ex Cup playoffs to just finish with some momentum and win a very nice paycheck at the end of the season. He still leads it. But was it a great year for him? I’d give him a 92 on a 100 point scale. Winning five tournaments and winning at Doral, the Players and Firestone, with that amazing 61 on Friday a week in a half ago, was fantastic. Winning any event is terrific. The Players is considered the fifth major by the Players, so it’s a big deal to win it. But it’s not a 98 or 99 grade because he was major-less once again. But there is a lot of golf left in Tiger Woods’ career. But the question I have is: does he really want it enough now? He has all the money he could ever dream of, his life has turned around, he’s very happy with his kids and his girlfriend. He can just say to himself, “life is really good. I’ve done enough.” I wonder if  there is still that intense desire to break Jack’s record. Will be very interesting to watch.

Meanwhile, guys like Jason look like they’re here to stay. I see Duf getting more majors if he can keep his drive and improve his putting a little bit. He’s a good putter. He made some nice par saves in the final two rounds, so he’s good at stroking it with the flat iron. If he can get to great, he has a shot at multiple majors. That would be awesome to see for the AU graduate. It’s great to be an Auburn Tiger today.

Football thoughts:

AU

I’m hearing good things about Nick Marshall and Jeremy Johnson at quarterback for AU after Saturday’s scrimmage. Marshall must have good talent. The 20 interceptions in junior college last year does concern me a lot. It’s a real red flag. Maybe Gus and Lashlee can figure out a way for Marshall to eliminate all those mistakes. They liked what they saw in Saturday’s scrimmage from him. Johnson got some high marks as well. Now Jeremy is really, really talented. I see potential greatness there. He’s 6’6″, 225, and has a cannon for an arm. Can he get it done his first year in the SEC? That’s tough. Gus said he was pairing down the quarterback competition, so it may be just Marshall and Johnson now competing for the starting job. Gus is a one-qb guy and I like that. Will keep you posted on what transpires this week. The next scrimmage could clinch it for one of these guys. Still like Jonathan Wallace. Don’t think he’s the answer for the future beyond this year, Johnson is, but he could give AU a chance to win eight this season. I like his leadership,  his arm strength and his accuracy with the 20 yard throw. Kiehl just doesn’t look like he can get it together. Of course, AU has Chase White coming in next year. The Florida quarterback will give Johnson a run for the qb of the future at Auburn. He really shined at the Nike Elite 11 Camp with the best high school quarterbacks in the country in June, so the position is shaping up well for the next four years. Some more playmakers need to step up. I think running back is good with Tre Mason, Artis-Payne, Corey Grant and those two freshmen. Wide receiver is a question mark for me. Some guys will have to step up. AU needs to recruit some more at that position. O line looks good. Tight end pretty good, but needs some depth. Defense is a question mark. Are there enough quality players? Ellis Johnson is a very good defensive coordinator and there are some good players who were recruited by Chizik. Will there be enough to knock off the Ole Miss’s, the States, Arkansas and UT teams, pivotal games in the schedule?  Will see how the guys develop this summer. Washington State is going to be a big test. It’s a critical game for the Tigers. Critical in that the Cougars are a good team offensively under MIke Leach and the AU defense will be tested. AU needs to get that one. Wouldn’t be a devastating loss because it’s out of conference, but it’s one the is highly winnable, and AU needs to take care of business at home on August 31st. ESPNU at 6 PM CT.

‘Bama

‘Bama solid in camp. Amari Cooper is just tearing it up. The returning running backs, T.J. Yeldon of course, and Kenyon Drake, have been superb. The freshmen are fantastic. The O line is coming along pretty well and the receiver position will be the best in the country. This is an epic receiving corps. Defense loaded. I see a national championship once again. The road blocks are South Carolina or Georgia in the SEC title game and if it’s Stanford or Oregon in the national title game. Don’t see Urb and the Buckeyes able to stick with  the Tide. S owns Urb. Tim Brando picked Louisville as the best team in the country this year and put Alabama seventh. What guy in their right mind would say that? I know Louisville has the powder puff of all powder puff schedules, but they would get crushed in the title game if they made it. Their strength of schedule is so weak too, that they may not make it with an undefeated season. They’re getting over-hyped.  The Tide is the best team in the country. Brando needs to reassess.