Dufner’s PGA win illustrates USA’s case for taking back Ryder Cup

By taking the PGA Championship at Oakhill Jason Dufner became the second American Major winner in a row, following Phil Mickelson’s British Open triumph and this bodes well for the USA.

There’s rarely been a more deserving winner over one weekend than the ‘Duf Man’, who carded three rounds under-par while coming within just one stroke of shooting the lowest ever score at a Major Championship, when posting a second-round 63 in upstate New York.

While the achievement remains a sweet personal accolade for the Alabama golfer, after missing out to his pal Keegan Bradley in a play-off two years ago, it also emphasises the strong case being formed that the USA can steal back the Ryder Cup in 2014 at 5/4 with Ladbrokes.

Although Justin Rose took home his own maiden Major trophy this season with victory at the US Open, his re-emergence as one of the world’s top players has been a rare tale of success from the European side of the pond.

Taking the quartet of Majors as a litmus test of the world’s best golfers, then in top-10 finishes this year the US have outmuscled the continent’s finest players by 18 to 11, while southern hemisphere players make up the numbers.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods’ return to winning ways as the undisputed world number one is another factor to give star spangled hopes a lift at Gleneagles next September.

Five PGA Tour wins already in 2013, including a seven-shot decimation of the field in the Bridgestone Invitational give ominous signs that the 14-time Major winner can lead from the front again next year.

This is in stark contrast to Europe’s own superstar Rory McIlroy whose switch of sponsor to Nike has seen his form dip alarmingly, although his final few rounds at Oakhill provided some green shoots for the remainder of the season.

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