New life for David Duval

It has been five years this July since David Duval won the British Open with a bravura performance at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. That same season, 2001, he had returned from a wrist injury to finish second in the Masters, tie for 16th in the U.S. Open and tie for 10th in the PGA Championship. Although two years removed from being ranked as No. 1 in the world, Duval was clearly an elite player. Nobody could have envisioned that he would find himself in his present situation, winless since that Open triumph and struggling to recapture his game after a succession of physical ailments and crises in confidence.

Yet, Duval at 34 says he has never been happier, for he is a husband and father of four. Moreover, although he admits to fleeting thoughts about quitting competitive golf, Duval has exhibited signs of progress over last season, when he made just one of 20 cuts and earned less than $8,000 on the PGA Tour. The comeback attempt is perhaps best capsulized by Duval's checkered experience at this year's Masters: He shot 84 in the first round, then opened the second round with a 6 and a 10 before rallying for a 32 on the back side to leave Augusta National convinced that he still has it.

In an extensive interview, the cerebral and introspective Duval does what he's trying to cure on the golf course: He sprays to all fields (including politics, parenthood, even Oprah Winfrey).

When you watch Duval at any tour stop, he is invariably surrounded by thick, supportive galleries. Despite his travails, perhaps because of them, fans want him back. It is an expression of admiration he does not take lightly.

Golf Digest: A lot has happened to you since winning the Open at Lytham. Good and bad.

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David Duval: Yeah, good and bad. I've become a husband and a father, which have been wonderful. I've also had to rebuild my swing and my confidence, and that's a work in progress.

When we approached you about doing this interview, your first reaction was, "Why?" Our response was, "Why not?" People are interested in you, even though you haven't been winning.

I understand that, and I appreciate it. And if people do like me, I think it's because I'm a stand-up guy. I think about what I say. I don't give stock answers. I'm not trying to cultivate an image with the public, like several of the top players do.

Such as?

Sorry, no names. But nice try. [Laughs.] What I'm saying is that, unlike a lot of portrayals of me, I'm not hiding behind the sunglasses. I'm out there working. I'm not trying to sell anybody anything, but I do realize we're entertainers. People pay their money to come out and watch us play, and I don't want to play crappy for them. But when I don't play well, and I address the fact that I'm not, as I've tried to do for the last few years, maybe that's part of why some people root for me.

There are four children in your family now. You've indicated one reason for wanting to play golf the way you used to play is for them. You want your kids to see what you do for a living.

Absolutely. One reason I got involved in the game was, like a lot of kids, I was curious about what my dad did. [Bob Duval started as a club professional and went on to win on the Champions Tour.] I was around golf at a young age. Our kids obviously know who I am, but I'd like them to see me perform the way I'm capable of performing. Not the way the last few years have been.

What have the last few years been?

Pretty tough. Hard. As bad as things got with golf, I never really thought of quitting the game. I contemplated not playing professionally anymore. I didn't want my professional golf life to destroy my recreational golf life. I didn't want the bad stuff on the PGA Tour to take away any desire to play the game at home. I didn't want to hate the game in such a way that I didn't want to play with my buddies or with my kids. But I was probably another really bad year away from doing that.

What kept you going?

I know I'm good. I know the talent is there. I just had to get it back.

How close are you to getting it back?

I'm more confident in my golf swing than I've ever been.

Ever? Even when you were ranked No. 1 in the world?

Ever. But I still have some concerns and worries about my subconscious thoughts on the golf course. Which is natural, I think, because that's how short-term memory works. It tends to be dominant, and I've got to get some bad things out of my system and refill it with good things.

You had some low points.

Yeah, I shot 85 at Pebble Beach last year. Before that, at the Bob Hope, I shot 85 at Tamarisk with a 36 on the front. That means I had 49 on the back.

That's not easy to do at Tamarisk.

Oh, it was easy for me. Just keep hitting the ball out-of-bounds. How did I shoot 49 on the back? I two-putted the last hole from about 12 feet, or I would have shot 50.

Is there any doubt in your mind that this story will have a happy ending?

There really isn't. If I didn't think I would make it back, I probably wouldn't be out there trying. If I came out this year shooting 79s and 80s, I probably wouldn't keep at it. But I'm not shooting 79s and 80s. I'm doing what I want to do with the golf ball most of the time.

You've set some lofty goals.

In January, I saw Tom Lehman. I told him I'm going to be on his team [Ryder Cup] in Ireland. I don't know how realistic that is. I didn't do anything last year when other guys were playing and making points. So it's basically my seven months this year against their 19 months. Maybe a more reasonable goal for me is to finish in the top 30 for 2006, make the Tour Championship. I believe I'm playing well enough to get there.

Is it important to you to be mentioned again in the same breath as the top players in the world?

I don't know if that really does matter to me anymore. Playing well and hitting the ball solid matters. And winning golf tournaments. Of course I want to win again. I want to compete, see results.

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How would you react to winning again?

I'll appreciate it more than I used to, probably. I never understood why golf was so hard for people. I don't mean just amateurs who struggle with it and don't play a lot, but guys out here, my fellow players. I never quite grasped why they found it so difficult. I do now. I've struggled with it, big-time. I had a taste of the bad, as much as anybody. I never thought that would happen to me, hitting the ball so poorly and having all those negative thoughts.

After I was out here a little while, I knew I could win. What I didn't see was the other side. I never planned on fighting just to make cuts.

You've won 13 events, including a major. Does the Hall of Fame ever enter your thoughts?

Oh, I don't even know how you get in there. I know I'd have to do more than I've done. It would be nice, I guess, but if Ben Crenshaw gets in before Larry Nelson and Curtis Strange, then I don't understand too much about the Hall of Fame.

Briefly, can you trace the run of injuries that started your problems?

Briefly. That's a good idea. The first thing that hit me was bursitis in the left shoulder. That's like 10 years ago. Then at the British Open in 2000, the year before I won, I was really hurting. My back. I was taking a steroid pack and codeine that you can get over-the-counter there. Then I went to the International a couple weeks later and had to quit on the 14th hole of the pro-am. I tried to play the first round and had to quit on the sixth hole. I was out for 10 weeks and missed the PGA Championship. I had all the stuff done, MRI and all. I don't know what caused it. I can't remember one swing that caused it, or any one time when I was doing anything else, like working out or snowboarding. Anyway, I wound up just lying on the floor at my place in Sun Valley for six weeks. I got up to eat and rehab, but that's about it. I was miserable.