David Duval recently sold his Ferrari to Charles Howell III. There are fears he may have left his golf game in the trunk.
If only playing golf were as easy as writing throwaway lines in a newspaper.
The truth is that Duval is one of the very few who ever get a chance to master this maddening game, where there is no place to hide when things turn ugly.
He soared to the very top, shooting a 59 to win one of those Bob Hope’s Birdieapaloosa events out west and then walking in the footsteps of Bobby Jones, Bobby Locke and Gary Player to win the 2001 British Open. Now he’s back among the rank and file of the PGA Tour, struggling to make cuts and living with one disappointing finish after another.
He entered the Open ranked 166th on the PGA Tour money list–a feel player who no longer has any feel. He came out of Georgia Tech as a soft kid with a rock-solid game. Now he has a rock-solid body but no game. And, no, the vertigo that contributed to his 79-83 trip to the Masters didn’t help either.
There’s no more unpleasant place to be than the U.S. Open when you’re trying to find the old magic.
“Nope,” Brad Faxon said, “especially with a great player.”
There seemed to be moans everywhere Duval went at Olympia Fields on Thursday morning. The black number next to his name kept climbing. And Duval kept trying his hardest, all the way to the missed 20-footer for par on No. 9, which left him with a round of 78.
When Duval fired a second-round 62 last week at the FBR Capital Open outside Washington, there was a hint of a turnaround. But rain forced him to wait 48 hours to get back on the course and he finished with 73 and 74, sliding all the way to 28th place. The Monday finish left him less time to prepare for the X-factor that is Olympia Fields.
Duval surely hoped he would get things going at the Open, but those hopes faded quickly. Playing the back nine first, he started par-bogey-double bogey-bogey-bogey. But he kept grinding, even after the USGA put his group on the clock for slow play.
Duval was 6 over when he played the par-4 third. His approach left him a 50-foot putt across the green. He called in a rules official to determine if he could repair a ball mark halfway to the hole. The official granted him relief. Duval then hit his putt at least 5 feet left of the line he seemingly had picked out. The ball stopped 10 feet short of the hole, leading to a three-putt bogey.
On the 164-yard fourth, Duval fired at a flagstick that seemed to stick directly out of a sand trap. The ball landed 5 feet past the hole and stopped dead. He made the birdie, pulling back to 5 over, but gave that shot and another back with a double on the par-4 fifth.
His disappointing day ended with a quick hook off the tee on the 496-yard ninth. He was forced to punch out from behind a tree. Then he took a long, slow walk up the right side of the fairway, his hands on his hips and his thoughts lost somewhere behind his trademark Oakleys.
He declined an interview request, seeking sanctuary over lunch before another long afternoon on the driving range, in the company of coach David Leadbetter. He will be back there again Friday morning, trying to dig some hope out of the dirt.
A golf symphony
Trains. Trees. Long lines.
If you’ve been to Ravinia for a hot attraction, you pretty much know what it’s like to attend the U.S. Open at Olympia Fields.
The venues have one other thing in common: obnoxious patrons.
Among the bits of conversation overhead in the gallery Thursday:
– “It’s going to take you a month to smoke that.”
– “Your personal assistant is a little cocky, you know.” (The reply–“Which one?”)
– (Pointing to the leaderboard) “Blake’s 4 under. I told you so.”
Told you so? Told you so what? That Jay Don Blake was still alive? That Olympia Fields wasn’t Medinah?
Back-nine blues
Whoever wins the Open will have a strong mind. Slightly more than 46 percent of the 353 birdies recorded Thursday came on the first six holes, which include the course’s only two par-5s.
The 247-yard 17th is hardly the only formidable hole on the back nine, which has a par of only 34.
Padraig Harrington, for one, had a fairway wood in his hand for his second shot to the 451-yard 16th.
Whispers
Brian Davis, 5 under through four? When they posted that on the leaderboards, the crowd was thinking they were going with first names this year. . . . Long shot who could hold on for a top-10 finish: Tom Gillis. The European Tour veteran from Michigan is on top of his game, as he showed with a T-7 at the FBR Capital Open, as well as his 139 in qualifying at North Shore C.C. . . . Johnny Miller didn’t think much of Tiger Woods’ conservative approach. “It’s the first time I’ve seen him have a bad game plan,” Miller said on ESPN’s telecast. “He was trying to hit the middle of the green with wedge shots. Give me a break. These guys can play.” . . . Hiroshi Matsuo. Best ponytail at a USGA event since Laura Diaz. . . . For some reason, Ian Leggatt fans were all over the place. Didn’t you see them with their maple leafs? Oh, that’s right. Mike Weir’s in the field too. . . . The complete transcript of the Colin Montgomerie interview after his 69: “I’m too tired to talk.” . . . Vijay Singh must be a tough boss. He broke up with caddie Paul Tesori after finishing in the top 11 in his last seven events.
Long John pursues dollars, not titles
John Bradley Holmes was ranked as the longest driver after the first round. But he had an advantage in claiming that distinction because John Daly failed to qualify for the field.
Not that Daly seemed to care.
Instead of national championships, Daly chases easy paychecks. Did you catch his schedule preceding the Open?
Daly played in the Memorial two weeks ago, shooting 83-74 on the weekend to finish 10 over par. Then he flew to Las Vegas for a made-for-the-Golf Channel event in which he and Lee Trevino competed against non-decorated amateurs, who got their full strokes for 18 holes of match play (Daly won; Trevino lost).
From there he flew to Washington for the Open qualifier at Woodmont Country Club. Daly shot 69 in the first round, but rain kept him from playing the required 36. Instead of returning to finish Wednesday, he honored his commitment to an outing sponsored by Vince Gill. That left no time to practice for the FBR Capital Open, and he shot 75-73, missing the cut. Nice plan.
Give them a break
Suspense on Sunday afternoon is seeing which superstar with millions in guaranteed endorsements adds a coveted USGA title to his portfolio. The real human drama comes early Friday night.
That’s when someone unknown from Anywhere, U.S.A., comes to the last couple of holes with a chance to make the cut and stick around for a weekend that could change his career. To make matters truly twisted, that poor mini-tour grinder or assistant pro will have to do it under the toughest conditions–in fading sunlight, despite the noise from parties in corporate tents, while no one except them seems to care.
The leading candidate for that nasty assignment is Darren Stiles, a long-hitting rookie on the PGA Tour who shot 71 Thursday. He’s due to start at 1:50 p.m. Friday, which should have him finishing sometime after 7. These late Friday finishes used to be really interesting before the USGA went to a two-tee format, which was used for the first time last year at Bethpage Black.
