Champion finds golf cuts both ways

TWELVE months ago, David Duval was atop the golf world, having erased the label of one of the best players never to win a major with a gritty victory at the British Open.

His play this season suggests that he may be a non-factor at Muirfield. Halfway through 2002, he is searching for consistency and is in the throes of a perceived slump. He missed his third consecutive cut at the recent Canon Greater Hartford Open and sixth of the year at 4-over 144.

The six missed cuts include both majors, the Masters and the US Open, and are three more than the past three years combined. He has one top 10 finish this year, a tie for fourth at the Memorial. By early June, he found himself 68th in PGA Tour earnings.

The reasons for a season that even Duval has termed “a train wreck” have varied from the long term effects on his swing from a back injury two years ago, nagging shoulder pain from a snowboarding fall in January, adjustments in equipment and a break-up with Julie McArthur, his girlfriend of eight years. Most crucial of all, his putting has been off.

After his early exit from the Hartford Open, Duval was already setting his sights on Muirfield. He has lost none of his confidence and expects to challenge in the Open. “You can forget the last six months or so,” he said. “ I am the Open champion and I will not give it up without one helluva fight. Golf is a sport where you have to look at the long term. You can’t get frustrated if you have one bad tournament, one bad month, or even one bad season.

“I’ll be back,” he said quietly but with conviction. “I’ll play great golf again. I expect good things. I’m at peace with what’s happened this year. Golf is not the most important thing in my life.”

The break up with his fiancée has had an impact on his golf, and he is aware of it. “Absolutely. That’s going to be hard on anybody,” he said.

“It affects your outlook and other aspects of your life. It’s hard to say how much that and my shoulder have been a factor. All of these things add up for sure, but it’s not something I’m particularly worried about. The great thing about golf is that it’s cyclical. I know where I’m at right now and I know where I will be soon.” Having said that, Duval is adamant that any stretch of sub-par play usually comes down to golf’s simplest and most infuriating shot.

“Making the putts,” he said. “That’s usually the difference. I started to knock down a few at Memorial and almost immediately I’m in contention and playing well. It can be that simple or that complex which is part of golf’s inherent beauty.”

When Duval won last year’s British Open, many expected his game to elevate, perhaps beyond the level of 1999, when he was ranked No.1 in the world. His pattern at all levels has been to break through and then move up. However, that drive appears to have eroded.

“I was never really comfortable with being No.1,” he says, a surprise admission perhaps. “It’s something I’ve done and sort of checked it off. I’m satisfied that at a point in my career, I was the best at what I did. Now I’m just worried about winning. Being the best doesn’t really matter to me.”

Duval’s perspective will never be confused with that of his good friend Tiger Woods. “I hear about the comments that guys like me and Phil (Mickelson) just had the unfortunate timing of coming along at the same time as Tiger,” Duval said. “I don’t see it that way at all. Nobody is going to be close to Tiger in winning majors when he’s done, but that doesn’t change the way I play or carry myself. I don’t worry about playing against him. I don’t pay attention to who I’m playing with anyway. I just play.

“Tiger and I respect each other and sometimes hang out together. He knows I’m my own man. Besides, he can he a helluva lot of fun and he’s a lousy baseball player!”

Duval at one point was a big league prospect, but the well-documented death of his brother Brett focused his attention on golf.

Duval’s obsession with greatness may have diminished but his introverted on-course personality has not. Ask him for an autograph at the wrong time and you are likely to be brushed aside like a used beer cup. Nor is he concerned about the perception of his personality.

“I won’t ever stop speaking my mind,” he says. “I’ve gotten in trouble for it in the past. But I was brought up to be a man, to speak my mind. I’m not interested in cultivating a false image.”

Away from golf, Duval remains very close to his father Bob Duval who continues to be a huge influence on him. “One of the greatest things I learned from him is that whatever happens you just have to accept it and continue.”

Duval has a small circle of friends that he grew up with. They still get together and drink a few beers, or go fishing. Duval has built an extensive collection of rare wines, and he remains an avid outdoors guy.

He also has a passionate interest in the music of U2 and the Dave Matthews Band.

The Open would be a perfect time for Duval to score a breakthrough victory in 2002. He realises that most of the attention will be focused on Tiger and his pursuit of the Grand Slam. “Can he do it?” he asks. “You bet. He is the only guy playing at this time who has the game and the mind to do it.

“Muirfield will not be easy. There is the wind and those massive sand bunkers. The problem will be keeping the ball on the fairway and making the putts. Muirfield is steeped in tradition and I’m sure that will give Tiger an added incentive. I know he is well aware of what has been achieved here down through the years. For me it’s about taking the good with the bad. There has to be balance in your game and your life.”