Els had a 67 to match Dufner at 19-under 269, while entering the fourth round with a two-shot lead, Dufner shot a 2-under 70 at TPC Louisiana. In the first playoff, both missed birdie putts within 2.4m on the par-5 18th, so they went back to the 18th tee for the second extra hole, which Dufner won by hitting the green in two strokes and tapping home a short birdie putt after Els’ birdie attempt from the fringe narrowly missed.

Els have not won on the PGA Tour since the 2010 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. Els’ tee shot went into a fairway bunker, and his second shot landed 125m from the pin on the second playoff hole. He nearly saved birdie from there, his putt missing by 5cm, although his third shot landed on the fringe.

Dufner then made his birdie putt from less than 60cm. He then briefly raised both arms to acknowledge the cheering crowd in his typically low-key way, before casually walking off the green to accept some congratulatory hugs.

On the PGA Tour this season, Dufner became the third first-time winner, following Kyle Stanley at the Phoenix Open and John Huh at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. He was quite confident, though, that the demands of that one-foot putt on the second extra hole had made him more tense than he was likely to feel when taking his wedding vows on Saturday.

After 11 holes, Els and Dufner were tied at 19 under. Els made par on each of his final seven holes of regulation. Dufner salvaged par with a 44-foot putt, although he made par on his final eight, none more difficult than on 16, when he hit into water. While Dufner chipped on to set up a potential winning putt from 10 1/2 feet, Els was on the practice green preparing for a possible playoff.

Although he could not convert, he made up for it in the playoff, pushing the ball about a foot past the right edge of the hole. Now it is on to his wedding in Auburn, Alabama. His plans for the honeymoon is little unclear and it could be on the hold until after the British Open.

Kim finished at 9-under-par, although she could have all but wrapped up her first major with the tap-in par putt. In the final round, Kim and Yoo shot 69. At eight under with a final-round 73, top-ranked Yani Tseng finished third.

Kim drove her ball deep into the left rough, while Yoo knocked her tee shot in the fairway. Yoo set up her winning birdie putt with a laser-like approach to became the second Korean winner of the championship after Grace Park in 2004, while Kim’s third shot on the par-five settled on the edge of the green about 30 feet from the cup.

in a four-way tie for fourth place, defending champion Stacy Lewis closed strong with a 66 to finish with Amy Yang and late leaders Karin Sjodin, even with Tseng and leading at the turn and Hee Kyung Seo, who had a three-stroke lead on the back nine. Sjodin shot a 74 after entering the final round, while Kyung had a three-stroke lead on the back nine before bogeying her final four holes.

In a major, Yoo had never finished higher than seventh, and she began the final round three strokes off the lead. With three birdies in five holes down the stretch, she bounced back from two early bogeys, finishing with three straight pars. She seized an unlikely opportunity to win after Kim’s historic miss.

In the first two holes to Sjodin, Tseng gave away her share of the final-round lead. She went three strokes ahead with an eagle on the second hole. With back-to-back bogeys around the turn, the winless Swede gave away the lead to Seo. It was Seo’s bogeys on the 15th and 16th that created a brief four-way tie with two holes to go.

There was an eighth-place tie between Natalie Gulbis, Se Ri Pak and second-ranked Na Yeon Choi at 6 under. Gulbis is still looking for her second career victory.

The International President’s Cup team is also set. Which makes this the perfect time to attempt handicapping this event. The top 20 golfers in the world, plus four choices by the captains, will compete for pride and posterity in November, which makes this one of the premier events in golf.

The President’s Cup is much like the Ryder’s Cup and this year’s captain, Fred Couples, has already reserved one of his choices for Tiger Woods. The No. 1 American golfer, Matt Kuchar, will lead an all-star cast of American golfers including Steve Stricker, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson.

There will be five Americans making their first appearances in the President’s Cup including: Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Webb Simpson, Nick Watney and Bubba Watson. The younger and less experienced Americans will have their work cut out for them against the more experienced International team.

The International team, led by Jason Day, who has been one of the hottest golfers in the world, especially with the spotlight on him. The International team is hurt by an injury to Tim Clark but they have some of the strongest players in years.

Final Verdict: The Americans are in a perfect position to score the upset this year and bring home the President’s Cup. Youth will be served in this event and the stars will be Matt Kuchar, Bubba Watson and Hunter Mahan for the Amercans and Jason Day for the Internationals.

Luke Donald is the favorite to win the Memorial at +750 in PGA Betting lines.

Justin Rose, last year’s winner, will be defending his title. Rose would love to break out in this tournament and win his first of the year. He currently ranks 27th in the FedEx Cup standings but his best finish this year is third on the PGA Tour. He does have a tie for second in the Tavistock Cup. Rose is not the best first ball hitter among the favorites but he is better than average at getting the ball on the green in regulation.

Phil Mickelson will be the biggest name on the entry list for this year’s event but does he stand a chance? Ryan Moore and Bo Van Pelt may have a better shot at competing for the trophy than Mickelson. Mickelson ranks fifth in the FedEx standings but although he is the big name in the tournament he does not have a shot this year.

Bo Van Pelt has not won a tournament this season but he does have a shot to win his first of the season in The Memorial. Van Pelt is stronger off the tee on the first shot and he is also solid if he gets in trouble. Ryan Moore’s best finish this season is fourth in the Northern Trust but he is overdue for a big win on the PGA Tour. In online free picks get latest PGA memorial betting odds.

Get Golf Betting Odds for this tournament closer to the May 19 start.

Still held on the historic Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, the tournament has become a nice addition to many PGA golfer’s resume’s. Past winners include: Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Kenny Perry and Phil Mickelson.

Zach Johnson will be in attendance to defend his title but who else has a strong chance to keep Johnson from repeating. Tim Clark, Bo Van Pelt and Steve Stricker are also golfers to watch as this tournament tees off Thursday.

The favorite going into this tournament will be Phil Mickelson. His odds will be 10-1 as he tees off but he is no threat to make a run on the Colonial course. Look for K.J. Choi to make a surprise run and his odds should be tempting in the 50-1 to 60-1 category as a long shot.

Why does Choi look strong on this course? Choi has been a little behind the average of the PGA golfers when it comes to driving but he is improving immensely with his scrambling. When Choi gets off course he can correct and improve himself better than most golfers on tour.

Another long shot to look at in this tournament will be Lucas Glover. Glover should come in around 100-1 or higher in the odds department but he has a much better chance. Glover can out drive the average golfer on the PGA Tour and he can also scramble well when shots go off course.

In online sportsbook, get Golf Betting Odds for this big tournament closer to the event.

Among the top stars there will be several up and comers to watch for in this exciting kickoff to the summer months of the PGA Tour. A Jhonattan Vegas rank 13th in the money for the year and already has one win. He is out driving his average PGA competitors this year by nine yards and he is also better than average hitting the greens in regulation.

The best golfer to take a chance on is quickly becoming an elder statesman on the tour. Sergio Garcia is destined for a big win in the near future and the Players Championship is as good of a tournament as any. Garcia’s best finish this year was eighth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Another veteran to consider in this year’s Players Championship is Luke Donald. Donald is not a big hitter off the tee but he is excellent saving shots and saving bad plays by hitting the greens in regulation after a bad first shot.

Jim Furyk has struggled this year, finishing in the top ten twice and earning five top 25 finishes. He is a smart golfer who is not a big banger on his first shot but he is deadly accurate off the tee. Furyk is also good for rising to the occasion during an important tournament.

Furyk is at 16-1 Odds while Luke Donald is the favorite at 10-1 in Golf Betting.

Boo Weekley is the most recent two-time winner of the event. Weekley won in back to back years in 2007 and 2008. The event has a notable group of past winners including Arnold Palmer as the inaugural winner in 1969 and Jack Nicklaus in 1975.

The event will take place on one of the nicest courses on the PGA Tour. The Harbor Town Golf Links, located in picturesque Hilton Head, South Carolina, is one of the courses many PGA regulars look forward to returning to every year.

The event is also considered a tune up for the impending Players Championship in May and the million dollar prize for first place is always a major draw for many of the top PGA golfers.

Among the favorites for The Heritage will be Boo Weekley who leads all PGA golfers with an average score of 68.44 over the last 16 rounds of play. Behind Weekley is Ricky Barnes, Angel Cabrera and Kris Blanks with a scoring average of 68.75 over the last years.

Ricky Barnes is the golfer to watch out of this group. Barnes is returning to form slowly but this course could kick start his season. Barnes has fallen below the PGA average for ball striking but he has become adept at scrambling after making mistakes.

In PGA lines, check out Golf Betting Odds closer to the event, which starts Thursday.

The Valero Texas Open is one of the more unique PGA events on the circuit and one of the events that include permanent style grandstand seating. The state of Texas loves to do things in a big way and the Valero Open is an event that lives up to the advanced billing.

There is a reason the PGA chose this tournament to follow the greatest golf event of the year, The Masters. The event does everything big and the fans come out in droves for this tournament. The event will be well attended and the fans will bring a different flavor to this distinctly unique PGA event.

Zach Johnson won the two previous Valero Texas Opens before Adam Scott took home the trophy in 2010. Johnson may not be the biggest the banger off the tee but Johnson is one of the most accurate PGA golfers off the tee. Another critical category in which Johnson excels is his ability to scramble after a poor shot.

One golfer that has fallen on hard times but has performed well in this event is Justin Leonard. He will have a chip on his shoulder since he did not qualify for The Masters and he will be a fun long shot to watch if he makes the cut. In online betting sports picks, look for the golf betting odds for this tournament.

Woods is the favorite at 6-1 to win The Masters in Golf Betting Odds, which have Phil Mickelson next at 8-1.

Woods has struggled with accuracy and reaches greens in regulation a little below the PGA average but he is still banging the ball farther than most PGA professionals. Woods has always been one of the best scramblers in the PGA but he is average this season. Look for Woods to be on the leader board by Saturday of The Masters.

Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood and defending champ, Phil Mickelson are all capable of slipping on the green jacket at the conclusion of The Masters. McIlroy has one win to his credit already this season and can never be counted out on this long course that favors the big hitters.

Lee Westwood has struggled this season but he can get healthy with a big win at The Masters. Westwood’s striking has tailed off this season as has his accuracy. The Masters will either be an awakening for Westwood or it will send him back to the drawing board.

Phil Mickelson defends his surprise Masters title this season with a renewed vigor. Mickelson has two top tens this season, including a second in the Farmers Insurance Open. Mickelson is still out driving the competition this season but he has improved on his ability to scramble out of trouble.

Kim enters this year’s tournament as one of the favorites in Golf Betting Odds and with Phil Mickelson entering the event as of March 18, Kim’s online betting odds may be tempting. Kim is coming off of his best finish this season, a sixth place in the Farmers Insurance Open.

Other notable entries for the Shell Houston Open will be Ernie Els, Fred Couples, and Matt Kuchar.

Fred Couples is always a fan favorite but one the contenders to challenge Anthony Kim will be Matt Kuchar. Kuchar is looking strong early and is coming off a fifth place finish in the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship. Kuchar also ranks near the top in the FedEx Cup standings, has made the cut in every event and placed in the top 25 six of his seven events entered.

Tiger Woods normally passes up on the Houston Open because it is the weekend before The Masters. Mickelson was a surprise late commitment to the event and it may be because he wants to find his rhythm as he heads to Augusta the next week. Mickelson scored a second in the Farmers Insurance Open and a ninth in Pebble Beach this season. Mickelson is also striking the ball well, averaging 293 yards.