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Learning to love Duval
Random musings on a wild Open Championship ... David Duval isn't the easiest guy in the world to root for, but I was definitely cheering him on over the final round at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. His victory is, as they say, good for the game. Duval is so talented it's scary, and yet something has always seemed to hold him back; can someone please explain how he had won only once in the 28 months leading up to the British? Now, in the wake of his spectacular performance at the Open, he can just get on with it. Duval is almost too introspective for his own good, and all the missed opportunities in the majors and various media controversies left him, and us, brooding about his place in the game. That's all over now. Duval has answered every question about his talent and his heart, and even in the glare of the Open Championship spotlight he never has seemed as comfortable in his own skin. I think we are finally going to get to see how good Duval really is. Me, I'm looking forward to it. ...
A milestone in their relationship was last December's World Cup, where the Woods-Duval pairing represented the U.S. in Buenos Aires. I was one of the few American reporters who traveled to the tournament, and that week Duval was the most relaxed and animated I had ever seen him. Sharing the stage with Woods seems to bring out a different side of him. And more important than all the time they spent together on airplanes and in restaurants was the quality time Woods and Duval enjoyed between the ropes. Duval simply carried Tiger all week, earning the everlasting respect of his teammate. "I think our friendship evolved a little bit this week," Woods told me following the U.S. victory. "We were great friends coming in, and we're even better friends now." This friendship has only intensified as Duval has begun working with Butch Harmon. This winter and spring Woods and Duval were often spotted together at Harmon's golf school outside Las Vegas, where they would practice together, work out together and then hit the town at night. Someone who has been out gambling with Woods and Duval tells me that they have played for as much as $40,000 a hand. Duval has always had plenty of money. Now he owns something more valuable: a place in golf history, one that will only grow if he can continue to steal his friend Tiger's most coveted trophies. ... Every time I'm at the Open Championship I make a point of running up the 72nd fairway with the great unwashed. It's a delirious way to end a wild week. This time I wound up in the very center of the mosh pit, close enough to reach and pinch Duval's butt. Not that I wanted to. It was total anarchy in there, but I was heartened to see that Duval actually seemed to be enjoying himself. He later called the whole thing "a great experience". That's just one more reason to like him. ... You know the Neil Young lyric, "It's better to burn out than fade away"? Kurt Cobain was familiar with the line; he quoted it in his suicide note. Watching Colin Montgomerie over the weekend, I couldn't help but hum those familiar strains. There would have been more dignity in it for Monty if he had made a furious bid for the championship, only to blow up spectacularly in the end. The way he slowly faded into obsolescence was saddening and a touch pathetic. I wish the guy would just retire. His act has gotten so tired. ... From the It Had to Be Phil Dept.: This is how Phil Mickelson began his tournament: par-birdie-bogey-bogey-bogey-eagle-eagle-par-par-bogey-birdie-bogey-birdie-par-par-bogey. Absolutely unbelievable. ... Next to the press room at Lytham was the players' car park, and wandering through one day I couldn't help but notice a pimpish black Bentley with two-tone leather interior, chrome-plated steering wheel and various other accoutrements. I put my face to the tinted glass for a better look, and sitting in the passenger seat was a package addressed to Darren Clarke. Curiosity piqued, I sought out his manager, Chubby Chandler, who told me Clarke has an endorsement deal with Bentley that supplies him with a courtesy car at every tournament. Does this guy know how to live or what? I also gleaned some more minutiae on Clarke, the game's ultimate bon vivant: He's now up to two houses, seven cars (including a pair of his-and-hers Ferraris), over 2,000 bottles of wine in his personal cellar, and, along with his buddy Lee Westwood, he owns a stake in a horse-racing syndicate. Among its thoroughbreds is one named Double Bogey Blues. ... Just a thought: Is Miguel Angel Jiménez the most underrated golfer in the world, or is it just me? ... If my flight home, from Manchester to Chicago, had gone down over the Atlantic, the golf world never would have recovered. Joining the handful of caddies and media scum on board were Harmon, Steve Stricker, Scott Verplank, J.P. Hayes and David Frost. Poor Frosty. All of the above were sequestered in first class, while he was forced to make do in biz class, one row in front of my seat. Studiously observing his personal habits, I had a flashback to a flight, for last fall's Solheim Cup, on which Roger Maltbie and I wound up being seatmates. I had been upgraded to the pointy end of the bird, where every passenger gets his own DVD player and a couple dozen flicks to chose from. I popped in The Devil's Advocate and was shocked and outraged to discover that there was excessive nudity, often involving, unfortunately, Charlize Theron. Anyway, every time one of the Hollywood starlets disrobed I could feel the presence of Maltbie leaning in my direction to catch a peek. Finally, I looked over at him, and -- busted -- he gave me an embarrassed smile and cheesy thumbs-up. It was classic. ... On the way over to England I made a pit stop in Ireland and, along with three buddies, went on an epic, six-rounds-in-four-days bender that took us to the sacred earth of Ballybunion, Lahinch, Waterville, Old Head, Tralee and a track called Doonbeg that has yet to be opened to the public. Next week I'll weigh in with a full report. Until then, don't forget to count your clubs on the first tee. ... Sports Illustrated senior writer Alan Shipnuck periodically waxes about life On Tour for CNNSI.com. Click here to send him a question or a nice, friendly comment.
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