The Loop

'Are you,' the girl asked Duval, 'someone famous?'

June 20, 2009

David Duval might not win the U.S. Open, but it is remarkable in and of itself that he is in contention with 36 holes left, yet that he is so is transformational beyond the fact that he hasn't had a top-10 finish since 2002.

A man for whom "prickly" was an adjectival staple, Duval was once a player for whom it was hard to root for. Today, a married father of five, the hard edges seemingly softened, he is a player now for whom it is hard to root against.

His travails bring to mind an incident at the Nissan Open at the Riviera Country Club in 2003, when Golf Digest Digitial's Thomas Bonk, then the golf writer for the Los Angeles Times, introduced his young daughter Jordan to Duval.

"Are you someone famous?" Jordan asked innocently.

Duval laughed.

"I used to be," he replied.

Perhaps he will be again soon.

-- John Strege