Duval doesn't win, but dramatically returns to prominence

David Duval has been insisting that he again belongs among the games top players. With a gutty tie for second place at Bethpage, the former world No. 1 provided the best evidence yet of his resurgence.

By T.J. Auclair, PGA.com Interactive Producer

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- Until Monday afternoon, David Duval hadn’t recorded a single top-10 finish on the PGA TOUR since 2002.

That’s seven years, an eternity for a pro golfer, especially a one-time world No. 1.

But, that’s been the story of Duval’s career since he reached the pinnacle by winning the 2001 British Open at Royal Lytham and St. Annes only to plummet into what must have felt like golf’s version of the witness protection program since he wasn’t seen or heard from for a long, long time.

It’s amazing what a difference just one tournament can make though. Just ask Duval, who, at least for this week, isn’t lost anymore after an incredibly hard-earned tie for second at 2-under 278 in the 109th U.S. Open at Bethpage Black.

“I stand before you certainly happy with how I played, but extremely disappointed in the outcome,” said Duval, who began the week ranked No. 882 in the world and had missed the cut in eight of 13 starts this season. “I had no question in my mind that I was going to win the golf tournament today.”

Success once came easily, frequently and rather quickly for Duval. He joined the PGA TOUR in 1995, and from then through the summer of 1997 he was routinely on the brink of winning, finishing second on seven occasions over that span. It seemed as though it was just a matter of time before the floodgates opened for the man behind the wraparound sunglasses.

When Duval finally busted out with his maiden victory in the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill in October of 1997, he began collecting hardware at a furious pace, winning a total of 12 times until that final victory at Royal Lytham and St. Annes.

Duval is the kind of man who prefers to keep to himself and never seemed comfortable with the attention that came his way as he soared in the rankings all the way up to No. 1 in April of 1999. He was certainly in his element playing in front of thousands on the golf course, but could at times be standoffish outside of the ropes.

Shortly after his British Open victory, Duval’s downward spiral began. He finished 80th on the money list in 2002 and dropped all the way down to 211th in 2003 before taking an extended break from the game as he fought through a host of injuries, a case of vertigo and a lack of confidence, and also took time to be by the side of his wife Susie in 2007 as she went through a difficult pregnancy.

However, no matter how bad the situation got, Duval never gave up on his game. While he didn’t have a whole lot to show for that fact over the last seven years, he sure had something to show for it in the final round of this U.S. Open, where his 1-over 71 does nothing to indicate what an impressive round it truly was.

On the third hole, Duval took what seemed to be a crushing triple bogey after his ball came to rest under the lip of a bunker. That dropped him all the way back to 1 over, leading many to suspect the magical run was over. But not Duval.

“I don’t quit,” he said with so much conviction it was impossible not to believe him. “I figured I had a par 5 [No. 4] right there where I could maybe pick up two shots. I definitely needed to pick up one.

“Funny enough, I hit a really good shot that came up a little short and I had a really awkward stance again,” he explained. “You certainly couldn’t equate it to being buried underneath the lip of a bunker, but I was like, ‘Man, here we go again.’ Somehow I managed to get that up and down.”

After snatching the birdie at No. 4, Duval gave it right back on No. 7 with a bogey when he hooked an approach shot 60 yards because of a mud ball.

Still, he wouldn’t give in.

“I caught an awful, awful mud ball on 7,” he said. “I hit a beautiful drive in the fairway and then the ball hooked 60 yards, so that hurt me a little. But, again, just keep moving forward and try to hit a quality shot on the next one. You never know when you’re going to make a 50-footer and lo and behold, I made one on the next hole, about 60 feet up the hill. At that point I knew that somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 or 4 under was going to be a really good score and that’s what I was trying to do.”

With three straight birdies beginning on No. 14, Duval was suddenly in a share of the lead at 3 under -- a remarkable come back from that triple bogey at No. 3 -- and had a shot to end his drought in the most astonishing fashion imaginable.

“I was in the middle of the golf tournament trying to make birdies and I was just having a blast,” he said.

That all came undone after a bogey at No. 17 dropped Duval back to 2 over. He made a routine par on No. 18 and saluted the rowdy New York spectators that made the week so special for him.

“It’s what I want [to be in a position to win majors]. It may be arrogance, but it’s where I feel I belong and I was glad to come up here, hit the golf ball and control myself like I’ve been saying I’ve been doing,” he said. “I’ve been talking about how I know I’ve been playing a lot better than the results have been showing.”

Duval’s longtime friend and instructor, Puggy Blackmon, who also coached Duval at Georgia Tech, figured an outcome like this was a long time coming.

“I’m not taking any credit for this,” Blackmon said. “David has done all the work. I think if anything, I’ve just been trying to remind him of the way he used to talk to me, the way he used to think and that type of thing… This was phenomenal. This is vintage Duval this week.”

So does this mean that Duval is back?

Duval laughed when he was asked that very question.

“You tell me,” he said.