AVONDALE, La. - With a birdie on the second hole of sudden death, Jason Dufner defeated Ernie Els for his first PGA Tour win.
Els and Dufner finished tied at 19 under at TPC Louisiana after 72 holes.
The playoff begin with pars on the par-5 18th hole, which both players also parred in regulation. Dufner missed an 8-foot birdie putt, then Els could not sink his from a yard closer.
The second time around, Dufner reached the green again in two, leaving a similar lag as the first playoff hole. This time he left a second putt of a foot for the win. Els could not make from 15 feet to match.
Luke Donald finished at 17 under and in solo third to reclaim the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking. He needed to finish solo seventh or better to do it.
Ryan Palmer finished alone in fourth, three behind Els and Dufner.