Defending Byron Nelson champion Jason Dufner is ready to defend his title while still riding his "Dufnering" meme fame.
The social media craze started after NBC 5 sports reporter David Watkins tweeted a photo of Dufner taken by me.
The photo shows Dufner slouched against the wall while promoting the golf tournament at the Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers. Soon, pro golfers and others were tweeting pictures of themselves in the same pose with the hashtag "Dufnering."
Byron Nelson champ Jason Dufner is in town to promote the tournament and help kids "learn to focus" @mschristine_lee twitter.com/dwatkinsNBC5/sā¦ ā David Watkins (@dwatkinsNBC5) March 28, 2013
On Wednesday, I confessed to Dufner that I didn't post the photo because I didn't want to embarrass him. But the picture still got out, and it took off from there.
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"I was a little embarrassed at first, but the response of it was unbelievable, so then I kind of went with it," Dufner said. "You know, that's kind of who I am. That is the epitome of Jason Dufner -- just kind of relaxing and checking out a little bit."
When asked what the strangest Dufnering photo he has seen, he said, "People have a fascination with their dogs and cats, putting them in this Dufnering poise, which is a little weird to me, but there's been a lot of cool pictures."
Dufner hasn't had the best year in golf but said he's ready to defend his 2012 Byron Nelson title.
"Obviously, you want to get noticed for your golf because that's what we do, but any good exposure is good for me and my sponsors and everybody involved in my team," he said.
Dufner graciously greeted his fans before playing in the Pro-Am at the TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas. He said it's nice to gain some new fans who may not have known about him prior to the Dufnering social media craze.
