david duval

Speaking of David Duval, this year he's not entered in any of the events -- no doubt he's hoping to cure his golfing problems before coming back out. The last time he won was the 2001 British Open. Last year, he missed 16 of 20 cuts, and all of the cuts at the majors. By comparison, in 2001, he made 18 of 20 cuts, and missed only 2. In 1998, he won 3 tournaments; in 1999, 4 tournaments (including the TPC and shooting 59 at the Bob Hope); and 1 tournament in 2000 and 2001. Now, he has terrible trouble driving the ball off the tee.

Who knows what precisely are the causes for Duval's slippage? Chronic injuries? Change in golf clubs from Titleist to the relatively seldom used on the tour Nike clubs and driver? Loss of confidence? His workout regimen? Maybe a combination of these things?

I do know this: Golf can sometimes, if not often, be a very humbling game. There are other greats who lost the magic after incredible years when they seemed to be able to do no wrong. Johnny Miller, Ian Baker Finch, Corey Pavin, and Hal Sutton come to mind. Of these, only Hal really came back better than he was before -- but that took more than a decade. Let's hope David can fare better in recapturing his old magic while he's still young.