Jason Dufner quietly determined

Jason Dufner was on a roll through the first two days of the 2012 Masters Tournament. With opening rounds of 69-70, he had struck for 11 birdies and was tied for the 36-hole lead with Fred Couples.

It all came crashing down in a lost weekend, with a 75-75 finish that featured just four birdies and an eagle.

In those final two rounds, he beat only 10 of the 63 players who made the cut, and eventually finished tied for 24th. That was a surprise, because Dufner is known for his consistency. Until he missed at Phoenix this year, he had made 22 consecutive cuts.

“It was a bit of a struggle. I didn’t play as well as I would have liked,” he said of the final 36 holes in last year’s Masters.

It’s no shock that Dufner would play well at the Masters, where a premium is put on putting the quick, bentgrass greens. Dufner is one of the PGA Tour’s top putters.

“I like them,” he said of the greens. “They are very true and their speed is always good. There is a lot of education you need to do prior to the week and through the years because there are a lot of subtle breaks.”

Last year’s Masters wasn’t the first time Dufner had been in the lead in a major. At the 2011 PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club he had a share of the 36- and 54-hole leads, eventually losing in a three-hole aggregate playoff to Keegan Bradley.

“I’m just learning to deal with being in the lead in a major and competing to win a major,” the former Auburn golfer said. “I think there is a bit of a process that goes with that.

“You just kind of move forward,” Dufner said of his disappointing Masters weekend. “I don’t think about it too much. I’m pretty happy where I am week to week.”

The flameout at the Masters didn’t slow down Dufner the rest of the season. Three weeks after the Masters, he won his first PGA Tour event, at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. And three weeks later, he won the Byron Nelson tournament. In September, he was one of three Americans to win a singles match in the Ryder Cup, which Europe won. He beat Peter Hanson, who was the 54-hole leader at the 2012 Masters, 2-up in their match and finished the week with a 3-1-0 record in his Ryder Cup debut.

That pressure-packed win showed there’s more going on inside Dufner than his easygoing demeanor on the course would lead one to believe.

“There’s a lot more going on out there than appears,” he said. “I feel like I have the same emotions and same thought processes as a lot of guys, but I seem to not show it quite as well as some other players. It’s just difficult. It’s a test to yourself. You are trying to have the same mentality and confidence out there.”

Last year was the first time Dufner had contended in the Masters (he tied for 30th in his 2010 debut). It is another major, the PGA Championship, where he has the best track record. In addition to losing in a playoff to Bradley in 2011, he tied for fifth in 2010 at Whistling Straits.

“I don’t know,” he said when asked why he plays so well in the PGA Championship, which is played at different courses each year ”I’ve had some good finishes there. I had a great setup for me in Atlanta, felt real comfortable there. Same with Whistling. They give you a little bit more room to play off the tee. The rough isn’t as penal. The Open championships (U.S. and British), you have a lot of learning to do with that style of course. With Augusta, I haven’t had as many looks at it as the other guys, and there’s a lot of knowledge (needed) there.”

That’s why he gives himself plenty of time to get ready for the Masters.

“I always go early and practice and prepare for the week,” Dufner said. “It’s a great place. There is a lot of history there. All the greats have played well there, had their moments of glory there, so it’s neat to be playing in that tournament. Hopefully to put your name on that trophy and be regarded as one of the Masters champions is a pretty special thing.”

Dufner nearly made the Masters in 1998 through the U.S. Amateur Public Links. He lost in the final to future Masters champion Trevor Immelman, 3 and 2, and Immelman picked up the automatic Masters invitation. It was 12 years before Dufner earned his first Masters invitation, in 2010.

“You never know,” Dufner said. “I had an opportunity there. At the time, I probably didn’t realize how special that opportunity was to be able to play in the Masters as an amateur. I’ve been lucky to get back there, so I’ll take it.”