Jason Dufner

Just over 12 months ago the 35-year-old from Cleveland, Ohio stood on the 15th tee in the PGA Championship with a five-shot lead. What happened next would have broken many. Dufner bogeyed three of the last four holes and eventually lost a play-off to Keegan Bradley. But Dufner, who is unmistakeable with his deadpan demeanour and elaborate pre-shot waggles, is made of tough stuff and has become a star of the 2012 season. Having spent the early months of the year again getting close to victory before blowing it, he won twice and finished runner-up once in the space of five weeks after The Masters. He backed that up by finishing fourth at the US Open. A curiosity about him is that he didn't play the game until the age of 15, but he's played catch up very quickly since. His matchplay experience is almost non-existent and some might wonder about a putting stroke that has been suspect under pressure, but his unerring ball-striking might be a big positive, especially in the foursomes.