DUFFNER FAR FROM DULL

Joint Masters leader Jason Dufner is a low-key, non-descript golfer.

He was born in Cleveland, Ohio and the location of the Rock and Roll ‘Hall of Fame’ but you wonder if he would shout if bitten by a shark.

But there’s one thing Dufner does possess and that’s a standout golf game.

He first came to notice last August and just two hours drive up the I-20 in Atlanta in losing the PGA Championship to Keegan Bradley.

Dufner played the Masters third round in the company of Fred Couples and there could not be more contrasting personalities.

Couples has been generating fan interest ever since making his Augusta debut in 1983 and the 1992 Masters champion is again this year one of the crowd favourites.

Dufner is competing in his second Masters but he’s hardly one to be getting wrapped up in all the excitement.

He skipped Wednesday’s Par 3 Contest to ‘run a few errands’.

“I just hung out at the house and besides I had a couple of errands, picked up some dry cleaning and watched the History Channel a good bit,’’ he said.

McILROY FINDS FREDDIE ‘A COOL GUY’

Rory McIlroy, at 22 is looking to become the second youngest winner of the Masters whereas Fred Couples, and 30 years his senior, is looking to become the oldest winner.

U.S. golf fans have taken to McIllroy in a manner not since Greg Norman first competed Stateside.

But while increasingly popular at Augusta National, McIlroy will have to take a back seat for now to the player who he thinks is really cool.

“I hope I’m that cool when I’m 52 or whatever he is,” said McIlroy.

In sharing the lead with Jason Duffner, Couples already is the oldest 36-hole leader in Masters history.

He’s one of only a handful of players who competed in the 1986 Masters when Jack Nicklaus claimed an 18^th Major.

And McIlroy was only two years of age when Couples captured the 1992 Masters.

“He’s just a cool guy, and he’s good fun,” said McIlroy.

“I’ve gotten to know him a little but over the last couple years and, you know, he’s laid back and relaxed.

“And you know, it’s great to see him up there and just adds a little more spice to the weekend.”

LAIRD MAKING HIS BURMA ROAD DEBUT

Scotland’s leading world ranker player Martin Laird has confirmed he will make his Europe debut next month at the flagship BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

It will be Laird’s first ever occasion he will have played the famed ‘Burma Road’ West Course.

“I have never played Wentworth so I am looking forward to getting over as I have only heard good things about the tournament,” he said.

“It’s one of the biggest events in Europe and any time you can get a chance to play in such an event you want to come over and do it.”

And Laird confirmed again he will also contest the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart.

CALLS FOR BILLY TO CHASTISE TIGER & STENSON

There is been plenty of calls for Augusta Chairman Billy Payne to speak to Tiger Woods following some unsavoury behaviour at this year’s Masters.

Twelve months ago Payne delivered Woods a right ole southern tongue lashing following revelations some months earlier of Woods’ extra marital affairs.

Woods came to this year’s Masters as a raging red hot favourite but heading to the weekend he was in freefall.

Woods was back in the firing line on Friday with the 14-time Major winner cursing and swearing and lashing out in kicking his club after a full shank into a bunker at 16.

TV picked up Woods cursing and with one SKY analyst strangely wanting to apologise for Woods heard clearly using the word ‘shit’ after yet another indifferent shot.

“I just didn’t quite have it with my swing,” Woods said afterwards.

“One of the good things about this tournament is that anybody can win it who makes the cut. Guys have been five or six behind going into the back nine on Sunday and won. I just need to work at cutting that deficit down and make a quick start on Sunday.”

But really the only good news for a completely demoralised looking Woods is that his troublesome Achilles injury appears to have healed.

Then there was the sight of Sweden’s Henrik Stenson burying his club about six inches into the fairway down the last on Friday in taking a quadruple bogey ‘8’.

AUGUSTA REPORTER’S HAD ENOUGH

The New York Times golf writer Karen Crouse is attending Augusta for a first time but she says she’s already had enough.

Crouse wrote that she is reluctant to cover the Masters until the all-male Georgia club admits women.

Crouse, who dresses akin to the late Janis Joplin, got into a verbal duel with Augusta National Chairman, Billy Payne on the eve of the Masters.

Payne had began the conference speaking of Augusta’s desire to take golf more to younger people.

Crouse, sitting in the second row of that press conference, had held her hand aloft for 20 minutes before the moderator called on her to speak.

Crouse then asked Payne ‘a kitchen table question’ how he would explain to his granddaughters that the club he leads has no women as members.

Payne then answered, “Well, my conversations with my granddaughters are also private.”

She later wrote in the New York Times:  “If it were left to me, which it seldom is in the power structure of writer versus editor, I’d probably not come cover this event again until there is a woman member.

“More and more, the lack of a woman member is just a blue elephant in the room.”

TIME HEALS ALL WOUNDS OR IN GARCIA’S CASE, WILL IT?

Here is Sergio Garcia’s comments following a final round 74 in 2009:  “I don’t like this place.  It’s too tricky and it’s too much of a guessing game”

Question:  “What would you do differently?   Garcia:  “I don’t care, they can do whatever they want. It’s not my problem. I just come here and play, and then go home. That’s about it.’’

Garcia after a second round 68 in 2012:  ““I think it’s just an amazing place. It’s just one of those places that you always are looking forward to coming back and hopefully play good golf. I’m just delighted to be in a pretty good position at the moment.’’

It’s true Garcia’s relationship with Augusta National hasn’t been that good over the years.

The Spaniard’s only two decent finishes came early in his career when he made the cut as the then British Amateur in 1999 and when placed eighth in 2002 while he was also tied fourth in 2004.

Since then, Augusta’s hardly rewarded the now 32 year old as he had missed the cut three times (2005, 2007 and 2008).

However Garcia does have nine top-five finishes in the Majors with twice being runner-up to Padraig Harrington.