David Duval Climbing Back Up the Rankings: Golfer David Duval "believes a late-career resurgence is within his grasp after nearly eight years of battling injuries and subsequent swing glitches that dropped him as low as 882nd in the world," the Florida Times-Union reported today. He's currently 36th in the PGA FedEx Cup standings after making three cuts and tying for second at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Duval missed the cut at the Arnold Palmer today in Orlando. I'd love to see him get back to respectability. He's a local favorite in Jacksonville, though I think he moved elsewhere in recent years.
posted by rcade at 08:52 PM on March 26, 2010
I followed him for the last few holes at the US Open last year. He birdied 14, 15 and 16, then hit a glorious tee shot at 17. How it didn't check up, I still don't know. He should have been looking at a 6 or 8 foot putt up the slope for birdie, but instead the ball bounced on through the green. Even then, he hit a great chip that looked for all the world like it was going in, but instead left him a horrible putt with a load of break in it that he missed. Then at the last he failed to make birdie despite going in with a flick.
With very little extra luck, he could have won that US Open by a shot, or with even less luck he could have forced a playoff with Glover.
If he'd won it, I think I'd still be there and still be drunk celebrating his victory. Such a nice guy and such a sad story of decline. For him to win anything again would probably have me in floods. If you believe in such things, Augusta owes him big time for the kick in the balls he got in 2001.
posted by JJ at 12:52 PM on March 25, 2010