Dufner relieved to break his duck

Jason Dufner admitted he was a relieved man after beating Ernie Els in a play-off to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

The 35-year-old turned professional back in 2000 but had never won an event on the PGA Tour, with three second-placed finishes, but he finally got over the line with victory at the second play-off hole after the pair had both finished on 19-under par after 72 holes. The Alabama resident held a two-shot lead going into the final day but Els chipped away at it before finally carding a five-under-par 67 to join him at the top of the leaderboard, with Dufner signing for a two-under-par 70. The duo both secured a par at the first extra hole but the South African found the sand with his drive when they came down the 18th for the third time in half an hour and could only manage a par. Dufner hit a superb drive and approach, and a two-putt birdie gave him the victory that he had craved for so long. The Cleveland-born star confessed that it was a relief to finally visit the winner's enclosure and admitted that he has always found it difficult to play his best golf when in the mix on the final day of a tournament. "It was a tough day, I'd already put up a good number," he said. "It's been tough trying to get this first win, so this is a little bit of a monkey off my back. "It's always really tough playing on Sundays, whether you're in the lead or the middle of the pack. Today I was fighting, trying to win an event and I think I showed myself a good bit out there. It was tough." Luke Donald regained the world number one spot from Rory McIlroy after carding a 67 to finish third on 17-under-par, while Ryan Palmer and Canadian Graham DeLaet shared fourth place just a shot back. Justin Rose ended up in a tie for 10th on -13, with Englishmen Greg Owen and Brian Davis finishing on -9 and -8 respectively. Graeme McDowell began the event well but could not find the consistency he required and ended up back in a tie for 57th on five-under-par.