It was the third PGA Championship held at the Highlands Course of the Atlanta Athletic Club; the last was a decade earlier in 2001. David Toms laid up on the final hole and one-putted for a par to win by one stroke over Phil Mickelson. The first at AAC was in 1981, when Larry Nelson won by four strokes over Fuzzy Zoeller. The course also hosted the U.S. Open in 1976, won by Jerry Pate.
The following qualification criteria were used to select the field.[2][3] Each player is listed according to the first category by which he qualified with additional categories in which he qualified shown in parentheses.
Steve Stricker set the early lead with a 7-under-par 63, after narrowly missing a putt on his final hole that would have set a new major championship record of 62. Jerry Kelly finished with 65, in what was shaping up to be a good chance for the U.S. to get its first major win since the 2010 Masters Tournament. Pre-tournament favorite Rory McIlroy injured his wrist on the 3rd hole, but was able to grind out an even par round of 70.[5] The defending champion, Martin Kaymer shot a 2-over-par round of 72 to sit 9 shots off the lead, while the champion from 2003, Shaun Micheel shot a 4-under-par round of 66 to be in 3rd place alone. Tiger Woods, despite stating that he felt good about his game before the tournament, shot a 77, to finish +7 and in danger of missing the cut.[6]
Third round co-leader Brendan Steele faded quickly with four early bogeys; he shot 77 and ended in a tie for 19th. Steve Stricker birdied the first to pull within a shot of the lead, but a double bogey on 4 led to a final score of 73. Robert Karlsson stormed into contention with an eagle on the 551-yard (504 m) par-5 12th hole to pull him to −8 and within a shot of leader Jason Dufner. Anders Hansen also began a late charge and after birdies at 12 and 13 pulled within two shots of Dufner at −7. David Toms also made a charge, birdieing six of nine holes in the middle of the round, but a bogey on 16 dropped him out of contention. Keegan Bradley made an eagle of his own on 12 after knocking the approach to two feet to tie Dufner for the lead at −9. Dufner birdied both 12 and 13 to take a two-shot lead at −11.[11]
At the 260-yard (238 m) par-3 15th hole, Bradley hit his tee shot left of the green, then chipped into the water and was unable to get up and down from drop area. The triple-bogey 6 left him at −6, five shots out of the lead with three holes to play. Following his eagle at 12, Karlsson parred the next three holes but bogeyed the last three to end his chances for a first major. After a bogey by Hansen at 16, Dufner had a five-shot lead at −11 on the 15th tee. He hit his tee shot into the water, but got up-and-down for a bogey to drop to −10. Scott Verplank chipped in for birdie from the bunker on 16 to pull within three shots of the lead. His playing partner Bradley also birdied 16 to pull within three shots. Hansen made a 15-footer (4.5 m) for birdie on 17 to pull to −7, three shots back. Verplank needed to attack the par-3 17th hole, but hit his tee shot from 207 yards (189 m) off the protecting wall into the water to end his chances of a late charge. Bradley landed his tee shot in the middle of the green. Dufner hit his approach on 16 into the greenside bunker; but again failed to save par and fell to −9. Bradley then sank a 50-foot (15 m) putt for birdie to get to −8 and cut the lead to one, as Dufner watched from the 17th tee.[12]
Hansen two-putted for par on 18 and had the clubhouse lead of −7. After hitting on the 17th green, Dufner knocked his first putt well past the hole and bogeyed to fall to −8; his five-stroke lead was gone. After hitting hybrid off the 18th tee, Bradley hit his approach to the center of the green, leaving a long birdie putt. He lagged to one foot and tapped in to post the new clubhouse lead of −8. After Dufner hit driver in the fairway on 18 he hit four iron to the middle of the green. Dufner than lagged his putt to two feet (0.6 m) and tapped in to tie Bradley and force a three-hole playoff.[13][14]
The three-hole aggregate playoff was played on the final three holes, with sudden-death to follow in case of a tie. Starting on 16, Dufner's approach shot rolled right by the hole and settled 8 feet behind the cup. Bradley answered by knocking his approach to four feet. After Dufner missed his birdie putt, Bradley made his short birdie putt to take a one shot lead. On the playoff's par-three second hole, Dufner and Bradley both put their tee balls on to the green. Dufner was first to play, from about 45 feet (14 m), and ran his putt 15 feet (4.5 m) past the hole. Bradley knocked his 20-foot (6 m) birdie putt 4 feet (1.2 m) past the hole. Dufner missed his long comebacker for par and Bradley made his par putt to take a two-shot lead with one hole to play.[19]
Bradley elected to take hybrid off the tee on 18, as he did in regulation, and found the fairway. Dufner hit driver in the fairway, just as he did in regulation. With a two shot lead Bradley put his approach shot comfortably on the front of the green, leaving it 18 feet (5.5 m) from the cup. Dufner knocked his approach next to Bradley's, about 20 feet (6 m) from the hole. Two strokes down, Dufner needed to make his birdie putt to have any chance to extend the playoff and did just that. Bradley then needed to two-putt for par to win his first major. Bradley lagged the first putt just past the hole, then tapped in for the win. Bradley became the first male player to win in his major debut since Ben Curtis at the 2003 Open Championship and the first to win a major using a long (belly) putter.[20]
This was the seventh consecutive major championship won by a player who had not previously captured a major title, establishing a new record.[21]
