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Playing out of the rough
Life hasn't been easy for Duval since his British Open victory
Posted: Saturday April 06, 2002 8:22 PM
Updated: Monday April 08, 2002 1:04 AM
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David Duval plays his second shot to No. 18 in round four of the British Open at Royal Lytham and St. Annes course. AP |
By Scott Michaux
The Augusta Chronicle
Remember 1999, when David Duval rolled into Augusta on a wave of four early-season victories that made him the best player in the world?
Duval pines for those days. His assessment of his 2002 run-up to the Masters is blunt.
"It's completely been a train wreck," said Duval, who in addition to breaking things off with his fiancee, Julie McArthur, was forced to withdraw from the Nissan Open, got bounced in the first round of the World Match Play Championship and missed his first cut in more than a year at the Genuity Championship.
"I've only got like 12 rounds, and it's the middle of March,"he said before making consecutive cuts at Bay Hill Invitational and The Players Championship. "I'm really just trying to get some golf in."
You'd think that life would be more positive for Duval since his victory last July in the British Open at Royal Lytham removed him from the ranks of best players without a major validation. But the positives never last too long with Duval.
Since 1999, misery seems to accompany Duval more than his caddie. Back injuries forced more than just a 10-week hiatus in 2000 - they forced essential compensation in his swing that compromised his effectiveness. An early-season wrist injury in 2001 caused more bad habits that are hard to work through, especially when you have new equipment and a lawsuit from Titleist hanging over your head.
Duval has spent months since his British Open victory trying to regain the swing that carried him to the top of the golf world in 1999. He's addressed his address, which kept his lower back flat while turning more in his shoulder to throw the clubhead and generate power.
"Because of the things that had happened, I feel like I really wrecked my golf swing," he said. "I look back and see some of the videos of old tournaments and it's just hard to watch. You know, it was really bad. When you're doing something for a good year, 15, 18 months, it takes a long time to get out."
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Duval kisses the claret jug to celebrate his win. Since the Open, he's been trying to regain his swing. AP |
Judging from his scores this season, you might not expect Duval to be too pleased. But he sees something better beyond the immediate.
"I feel like I'm swinging the golf club better now than I was three months ago," he said. "I feel like I'm slowly getting rid of some of those habits that the last couple of years with injuries have caused to get into my game. I feel like I'm on the right track. Doral's the most comfortable I've felt on the course this calendar year, and ironically I missed the cut.
"I'm working on my golf game and really starting to play well. My scores aren't reflecting it at all, but everything is a lot better than it used to be. It's the best it's been in awhile. I'm still trying to work on being ready to play when I get (to Augusta)."
No matter how trying things have been for him, Duval shows up more ready for the Masters than anyone. He's proven to be the most consistently strong competitor in the Masters each of the past four years - with a cumulative total of 31-under-par at Augusta since 1998.
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| Chip Shots |
| David Duval was a four-time All-American at Georgia Tech. Gary Hallberg, Phil Mickelson and Bryce Molder are the only others to make the Division I team four years in a row. |
| David Duval Scorecard |
| David Duval Player Page |
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Any struggles this season don't get him too lathered up.
"It's cyclical, the game, the way you play and the bounces you get," he said. "That's just all part of it. It's really not a big deal to me. I know where I'm at right now, and I know where I will be soon and can be. And that's what is exciting is knowing that I can get back there."
And after his breakthrough at Lytham, Duval knows he can finish. He calls winning the British Open "a tremendous sense of accomplishment," especially when he factors in the caliber of his play under weekend pressure. Duval's 65-67 on the weekend was his best 36-hole finish in a major.
"I really felt like I knew I had it in me," he said. "Until you do it, nobody will believe you that you felt that way."
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