When David Duval walked off the 18th green on that windy Saturday following his third-round 83, golf fans across the world were not surprised.
In fact, they were waiting for it.
To most, David Duval is a has-been, once-was, never to be heard from again. To the field at Royal Birkdale, Duval was a legitimate threat.
The past seven seasons have seen Duval reach depths of golf despair never before seen. Duval has fallen so low, Ian-Baker Finch makes jokes at Duval's expense.
Just one year removed from an Open Championship, Duval dropped to 80th in the World Golf Rankings. The following year, he fell to 211th in the WGR and in 2003 he was off the map completely.
From 2004 until now, Duval has made several attempts to regain his fluid swing and precise ball striking. However, nagging injuries, a total body transformation (via the weight room) a shortness of desire, and a severe lack of confidence would only see Duval miss more cuts than he would make.
So how can I declare David Duval the Open Champion? His confidence is back! The question now is when will David Duval's resurgence take form?
If you actually watched the tournament, you saw Duval strike the ball better than the world's No. 2 player, Phil Mickelson. He kept pace with Jim Furyk, Ernie Els, and Adam Scott. His persistence following that third-round 83 led him to a final-round 71, finishing in front of the pre-tournament favorite Sergio Garcia.
David Duval is closer now to winning a tournament than he was the day after his 2001 Open Championship.
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2 months ago
There was a tremendous number of fans on this side of "the Pond" who were absolutely delighted David Duval has made a come-back, not least myself. Good Article.
2 months ago
Not so fast, would you say Greg Norman is back in contention on tour? Very difficult conditions tend to favor the hot player of the week rather than the consistently best players. It seems counter intuitive, I know, but look at results.
from 2 months ago
I can only answer that by saying Greg Norman never "left" the competitive world of golf in-fact, Greg Norman played this tournament just as Greg Norman expected himself to.
What I mean is that all professional golfer wants to win every time they tee it up. Not everyone of them have the physical ability. Conversely, some of them have the physical attributes but lack the mental fortitude. (See Greg Norman's bio and professional statics. The Sunday collapse was no surprise.)
As far as tough conditions favoring the "hot" player, I somewhat agree but that is not the case in this scenario.
No-one, I mean no-one would have given David Duval a chance at being on the 1st page of the leader board going into the weekend and I for one, certainly was not surprised to see that Duval shot an 83 on Saturday.
What did surprise me though were Duval's comments afterwards and more so, his play on Sunday.
"I don't walk away from today's round any less confident than yesterday's round," Duval said. "If anything, I gained confidence with how I struck the ball and maintained my rhythm. You need good bounces on a day like this to have a good score. I just got behind it and couldn't get any nice things to happen."
You just don't come off an 83 being positive, regardless of the conditions. A professional golfer is pissed off at an 83, unless he truly feels good about his game.
After Saturday's 83, one of 9 rounds in the 80's on Saturday (folks, that's over 10% of the remaining field in a MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP, 10% of the best players in the world playing tat day shot in the 80's!!!!) Duval came back on Sunday with a 71. It would have been so easy for Duval to pack it in and fade out.
The reality is this, David Duval's game is getting better. Will he regain the number 1 ranking, I doubt it. Will he ever win again? I'm sure he will. A large part of winning is mental, just ask Hall of Famer Greg Norman. David Duval has that mental ability and he is getting closer to grabbing a hold of it!
2 months ago
I hope you're right, I for one hate to see such obvious talent wasted. Positive attitude goes a long way in life, but it isn't the difference between 83 and 69 which Padrig Harrington posted on Sunday. I support David in his efforts, but not one other competitor on that course will hand him a trophy for effort or attitude.
2 months ago
Nice article here John.
I think Duval still has the natural talent to go low from time to time as he did at the British Open, but I think he is still lacking when it comes to the intense preparation, desire and mental toughness it takes to put together four great rounds (or at least quality rounds) of golf it requires to win a tournament, let alone a major.
He is a real talent though as you can see that years removed from his days as one of the world's top golfers, he still has the ability to play excellent rounds of golf in the British Open which considering the whether was one of the toughest tests of golf this year.
from 2 months ago
You're right about the preparation. I don't recall where I read it, but Duval mad a comment to the effect that he was a "great country club golfer" and that he didn't know if he had what it takes to be on the road all the time.
That said, his children are getting older so maybe it's time to hit the road again.
I also liked another quote from Duval after the Open last week that said;
"I probably don't live it and die it like I may have back then," he said, referring to that era when he was an imposing, aloof golfer in the wraparound shades, staring down anyone who got in his way - Tiger Woods included.
"But I also haven't sought a return to be mediocre," Duval went on. "I know what greatness is about, and I know what it takes to have greatness. I won't settle for mediocrity."
To me that means he doesn't expect to be number one, but he expects to win and he wouldn't stage the comeback if he wasn't ready.
2 months ago
Is this really a real comeback - do you know what his schedule is for the rest of the year?
from 2 months ago
To be honest, I do not know what tournaments are on his schedule at this point.
I do know the he will have a sponsors exemption or two thrown his way.
Looking at the remaining tour calendar, my two favorite events for him would be the Turning Stone & Valero. The problem is that they are both a ways off and you must post a low, low number to win. (I believe that -18 & -20 were the winning scores last year)
I would really like to see Duval play something (much) sooner than that.
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