2001 British Open won by David Duval

Hey guys just wanted to have a bit of a throwback to the last time the Open was at Royal Lytham. It was my first Open that i watched and it was a classic, with Monty leading for much of it, Woosie right in contention until that bad mistake by his caddie and ultimately David Duval's amazing run through the field at the weekend to win his first and only major. Who would have thought that at the age of only 29 it would be Duval's last title of his career as it seemed as if he was the outstanding player to challenge Woods. I'm sure it's been done to death but what really happened to him after? i know he contended at the US Open in 2009 but except that i can't think of anything he has done since which is extremely sad for such a talented player. To me when i did see him he looked a bit out of shape but surely fitness can't cost you that amount? and do you guys think he can ever win again?

Look forward to your replies.

He certainly does look like he eats nothing but lard pies. Don't really know much about him but often hear his name in conversations at the club.

I also think its surprising what someone's fitness can do to them, if you've never been overweight in the past but are now that has to severely change the way you play the game, as different that would effect their centre of gravity and changing the mass around which they turn. I can't claim to know a great deal about the swing other than my own, but I'm a fitness nut and know a lot about the body and how it functions so those are my own conclusions on the changing shape of the body and how it could affect someone's swing.

That's said if a players always been bigger then losing weight could have the same adverse affect.

One thing I do remember was his fantastic acceptance speech.
Bit of an Ian Porterfield moment though for those who can recall.Got a feeling he had some problem with balance or eyesight?

It just seems amazing if it is down to his physique that some time in the last 11 year's he hasn't buckeld down and really made a run at golf again. He certainly had the talent, he won 13 on the PGA tour from 97-2000,shot a 59 to win by one and never won again. Bizarre, made it is an eyesight problem, has to be more than just weight fluctuations to effect his performances so much.

I recently read an interview with David Duval in Golf World. He actually seems to be very happy now. He's married and is apparently more content with life than when he was at the top of the golfing world.

When he was about 10, his older brother was diagnosed with cancer and David had to donate bone marrow to him for a transplant. Unfortunately, his brother didn't make it. Shortly afterwards his parents marriage broke up and his father moved out. I think his mother also developed a drink problem. David then completely dedicated himself to golf and we all know where he got to in the game.

He reached the pinnacle by winning the Open but it seems that, rather than making him happier, he just thought "is this all there is?" So he took a step back and decided that he didn't want golf to be the most important thing in his life anymore. He says he still loves playing the game but it would appear that he is definitely nowhere near as driven as he was back then.

He just decided to enjoy his life a bit more, and fair play to him. I suppose after a while golf just becomes a job, and everyone would love to earn enough money to not have to work as hard as they do.

from anything ive ever read about him i get the impression he battles the inner demons quite a bit. i dont buy the whole idea of it just being a dedication issue. he still plays a pretty full schedule, goes to Qualifying school, plays in monday qualifying when he needs to. he wouldnt do all this if he wasnt still dedicated to the game. he's very very different to someone like John Daley for instance.
I wouldnt be surprised if he was back in the winner circle at some stage though doubt he will ever be in the top 10 or anything like that.

I think it should be mentioned that he had a lot of back troubles and other injuries, as well as suffering from vertigo. So whilst there was this feeling of anti-climax when he won a major I think his downturn was more down to injuries.

With his injuries and its effects on his swing he developed a nasty hook, shut face player, and a fear of going left off tee.

Always on of my favourite players.
His behaviour after America's defeat in the Ryder Cup at the Belfry a few years ago was fantastic. It did nt matter that his team had lost he joined the victorious European team for the all night drinking celebrations.

Good looking bugger too! (I'm told I look like him when wearing my wrap arounds)

When Westwood used to post on 606 he was very complimentary of Duval, "Top man", etc, etc.

Not sure we'll ever know ALL the reasons for his departure from the scene, but he gives very good interviews these days, very much a changed man from the stoic individual of the late nineties.

quote from a beeb article -
If the answer wasn't already sitting in front of us, Duval was asked whether he had changed since 2001.

"No, I'm an entirely different person," he said. "Back then it was all about me and all about golf, just like the majority of people that have marched through here [the media room] this week. I mean, it revolves around them, everything. Their handlers, their trainers, their nutritionists, their managers. It's everything. And I've been fortunate in my life to be able to branch out and understand there's some things that are a little more important than this.

Re. his eyes: I heard that he had problems with sunlight. Thats why he always played with those sunglasses. But he always had that problem, also during his peak.

I didn't like Duval at the beginning, thought he was too much into him self. But I agree with Tony B Liar, I definitely changed opinion of him after the RC. Now I actually like him!

Link to the Rob Hodgetts' piece on Duval Link

just read this on DD
http://www.golf.com/ap-news/financial-woes-bring-more-perspective-duval?sct=obinsite

hend0,
Justin Leonard also trying to unload his mansion . . . . . !

i see that now! looking for 6.8m USD for it!

Well if he can't pay his loans, it can't be down to the collapse of the real estate market. It can only be because he wasted his money.

I really don't understand how top sportsmen end up destitute.

pedro,
He bought at the top of the market, as super_realist suggests stupid and greedy. Property only worth about half what he paid for it and now his endorsement income has dried up along with his playing status. Negative equity and all that, in more ways than one.

pedro wrote:Well if he can't pay his loans, it can't be down to the collapse of the real estate market. It can only be because he wasted his money.

I presume he borrowed money to buy real estate, same as any of us who have a mortgage, based on his earnings and his reputation and undoubtedly the predicted value of the property he was buying (sound familiar?) in a few years time. Market crashed and they're actually worth less than when he bought them let alone more than what he paid.
I'm not sure this is the same as "wasting" his money.

navyblueshorts wrote:

pedro wrote:Well if he can't pay his loans, it can't be down to the collapse of the real estate market. It can only be because he wasted his money.

I presume he borrowed money to buy real estate, same as any of us who have a mortgage, based on his earnings and his reputation and undoubtedly the predicted value of the property he was buying (sound familiar?) in a few years time. Market crashed and they're actually worth less than when he bought them let alone more than what he paid.
I'm not sure this is the same as "wasting" his money.

I understand all that. But you only lose money if you have to sell. Insolvent or not, if he can pay his mortgage what's the problem? I don't believe he put all his egg in one basket, so if he is forced to sell it means he must have lost money elsewhere. Blimey, interest is low, and he must have some sort of endorsement income to cover the mortgage.

pedro,
The AP report is that Duval's property cost about $12M in the mid 2000's, and is now valued at about half that.
Wouldn't speculate what his mortgage might be, but having a negative equity approaching $6M must be discouraging, to say the least. Banks were lending with ridiculously little collateral six or so years ago, which is of course the reason for the US financial dump which they're now blaming on "Europe".
Also not sure what his endorsement income might be but certainly not what the higher echelon are receiving - recently he's been wearing a BURTON Snowboards cap, and you know that's not mainstream for golf; (however popular it might be here of course).

I'm with Super -- can't understand how someone that made the money Duval made could end up destitute.

Kwin - Blaming Europe? Hadn't heard that one yet, but could come right out of the Romney camp!

Duval playing nicely in his familiar mile-high air. May be tempting providence, but he's got to have a real nightmare final five holes not to make the cut. Cashflow!

Super

It is a little told story (at least on this side of the atlantic) but when the housing bubble in the US burst it was not just those on low incomes who found they had been given credit to buy property too easily. It was right the way through the socio economic spectrum, especially in Florida in california.

Ironically he may also have had a portfolio which included a large proportion of his wealth in the stock market.

Good tournament so far this week for Duval, and can't imagine anyone not wishing him well.