ARDMORE, Pa. — For a while yesterday, it looked as if Jason Dufner might win the U.S. Open through the back door.
Dufner, who entered the final round nine shots out of the lead at 8-over par, walked off the 14th tee 5-under par for his round and suddenly in contention to win.
That, however, is where his run ended, thanks to a tee shot out of bounds to the left side of the 15th hole, causing a triple-bogey 7.
“It’s a tough tee shot, especially with the wind,’’ Dufner said. “It’s a tough angle. You’ve got out of bounds literally one pace from the fairway, which is a little unnerving. And it’s kind of a hole that you feel like you want to push at it off the tee, because the green is very severe. It could be one of your last realistic birdie chances with a scoring club.
“But as I learned, you can definitely pay the price for pushing it.’’
Dufner had six birdies in his round and finished 5-over par for the tournament.
“There’s definitely some birdie holes out here,’’ he said. “You wouldn’t expect to birdie six of them on one round. Unfortunately, one bad swing on 15 is probably going to end me up a few short.’’