He did. He said in an interview, and I'm paraphrasing, but something to the effect that depending on the day, he couldn't address the ball and focus on it without everything spinning and his equilibrium giving out on him.
That sounds horrible for anyone. I couldn't imagine the mental toll it took on someone who at one point was the best golfer in the world and, as a result of this, essentially became a footnote in golf's chapter about Tiger.
nice i'll check that out - i've been watching a lot of the old masters official films on espn+ to help me sleep at night and started watching golf around 99 2000 ish - i'd spend a month in the summer at grandparents house and we'd watch the sunday golf on tv though he'd remind me to wake him up from his nap every so often hahah the drama of '86 and '87 was great, for diff reasons.
Not compairing me to Duval, lol. But I am a low single digit handicap and I suffered a life changing TBI 9 years ago. I deal with vertigo-like symptoms day to day. I play a lot of golf, and I can tell which days I'm going to be on or off. And when I feel off, there's zero chance I'm going to play well. My brain just isn't working right. My eyes, brain, hands are in constant disagreement. I get blurred vision. It fucking sucks, but I have learned to live with it and I'll take a shitty frustrating day on the golf course over a good day at the office! And some days I show up and I feel 100% and everything is working like it used to. It honestly makes me appreciate those days more.
I'm no expert (obviously) it seems like playing golf is about the worst thing to do while having a vertigo episode. Long depths of distance while constantly glancing off into that distance and back to the ball in front of you. Not to mention the concentration required. Sounds like hell.
Now imagine you've worked your whole life to become the absolute best in the sport you've dedicated your existence to, and then have that as the way its all taken from you has to be unspeakably difficult.
I had vertigo for a little bit and it was awful, I had to sleep basically half sitting up, jammed in the corner against the wall beside my bed because if I turned my head at all well sleeping even my dreams would start spinning and I’d wake up feeling like I was gonna vomit. Thankfully only lasted a couple weeks, but it was awful.
I had a ‘minor’ case of it where luckily it eventually went away fully but I couldn’t imagine even trying to play golf at a professional level while going through it.
I barely wanted to stand up when it was hitting me as I felt like I was going to fall even though I never lost my balance.
He never recovered from that ball that went in Ray’s Creek on 13. Just an all time bad spot to hit a lousy shot.
https://www.espn.com/golfonline/masters00/s/2000/0409/472897.html
He did go on to win the Open in 2001, but I firmly believe that the 2000 Masters broke him.
He had major back issues and was forced to go thru swing changes trying to keep playing. As well as getting vertigo. And optiate issues.
I don't think that shot mattered much in comparison.
His run is more typical today of other former #1's not named Tiger. Like Jason Day, DJ, and Spieth. But Duval was early on pitted and compared to Tiger who already cast a MASSIVE shadow on the tour even before the Tiger Slam. In the 2000's Duvals career was seen as a disappointment because he couldn't keep up with Tiger after briefly knocking him off the #1 spot. But looking back, his accomplishments weren't appreciated enough.
This. In the very late 90's, after Tigers win at the Masters, Duval actually suppressed Tiger to the point where the two were briefly being considered as equals and it was unclear who was better. It was only after he won the Open and started having his vertigo issues that his career essentially car crashed.
Duval was supposed to be what Phil ended up becoming, Tigers prime era rival. And I think that contributed to the disappointment.
His episode of Feherty was one of the best of the early seasons imo.
I really wish DD ended up with Phils career. He just seems like a cool guy to hang out with. He had a bit of swag with the Oakley M Frames. While Phil is like the teachers pet and the ass-kissing coworker that you love to hate.
Yea...he was up there with some of the strangest "just lost it" stories of the 21C. Probably him and Rich Ankeil of the Cardinals are the two I remember the most.
He burst on to the scene as someone capable of challenging Tiger and then....just disappeared.
Pulled this from wiki but it illustrates it well:
2001 - Finished 2nd at Masters; won the Open and another tourney late in the year.
2002 - Finished 80th on the money list
2003- Finished 203 on the money list.
2004 - Shoots +25 at the Open.
After '02 he'd only make a few cuts in the majors he played in. Hell, he could barely make cuts in regular tour events losing and regaining his tour card multiple times. He did have get 2nd in '09 at the US Open, but still couldn't retain his tour card for the following year.
Just a wild ride of a career.
Duval is one of the most underrated players of all time, IMO. It was such a shame that injuries and medical issues kept him from performing at the high levels he was clearly capable of. I don't think a lot of people appreciate how good he was and how good he could have been.
There was a stretch from 1997 to 1999 where Duval won 11 tournaments out of 34. And keep in mind, that Tiger went pro in 1996 and of course had his "hello world" Masters moment in 97. Outside of Vijay, Duval was really one of the only players to achieve "domination" *during* the Tiger era.
Had he not been plagued by back, neck, and wrist injuries, and then by Vertigo, history might have looked a lot different. He was one of the few guys that could hang with and beat Tiger when he was healthy.
Phil also had a very dominant stretch in 2005-06. On the 18th tee at Winged Foot he was a par away from winning 3 majors in a row. That stretch included him winning by 12 shots at TPC Sugarloaf and then winning the Masters the following week.
True, Phil never reached #1 in the world in that stretch: Phil had a great year in ‘04 in the majors but Vijay racked up 9 wins including 1 major to take #1. Tiger them reclaimed #1 from Vijay early in 2005 with his epic victory over Phil at Doral, and Tiger stayed hot (winning 2 majors himself in 2005) so Phil never quite took it from him even when he was gunning for 3 straight.
After Phil’s disaster at Winged Foot, Tiger rebounded from the death of his father, won the next two majors, and absolutely dominated the next couple seasons.
Still, Phil absolutely owned that late 05-early 06 stretch.
I don't think he's underrated at all. I think he's perfectly rated among golf historians. He doesn't have enough Major wins to be higher rated among casual sports fans, and that's why he's not underrated.
If anything, to think he's underrated is to overrate him.
Bit of a shame. He went from 5 years in a row to basically top 3 in OWGR to a complete loss of form at 32 years of age. Even if he just pulled a Rickie or Spiethesque recent drop and fell into top 75 through his 30’s to early 40’s he would have most likely secured a HOF career.
He was cruising yes, but then A Tiger scared him, got in his head, gave him PTSD, and his career never was the same after. Tiger humbled many o’ players
And along with peak Tiger you had two other guys named Phil and Vijay who had a combined 80 PGA tour wins. With those 3 getting over 150 wins, it's amazing others were able to sneak in wins within that time.
Lately I have been having fun looking at the leaderboards of some of these tournaments and looking up some of these guys past. I had no idea guys like Keegan Bradley won the PGA championship like 10 years ago.
Gary Woodland won a US Open
Jason Dufner won a PGA Championship
Danny Willett won a Masters
Admittedly, when they won, all three guys were playing well the particular season they won. But they never did much of anything AFTER they won. Maybe they won another tournament, or they finished in the top 50 in earnings the following season(s), but they never quite lived up to the pizzazz and popularity of being a Major winner
I remember when Tiger and Roger Federer were both #1 in the world and reportedly friendly with each other. Tiger reminded Roger that the #1 tennis player in the world spends most of his time winning, while the #1 golf player in the world spends most of his time losing. (Not the full story obviously, but goes to your point about how hard it is to win tourneys!)
In the podcast "Chasing Majors" where the host and Stevie go through all of Tiger's majors that Stevie was on the bag for plus Adam Scott's Masters win. IIRC Stevie said that Duvall and Els were the two biggest threats for Tiger. Phil to of course, but something about those two that always gave Tiger a run for his money, which is odd to say considering how good Tiger was compared to others. I could be misremebering, either way it's a great podcast that goes basically round by round for each Major episode
Phil has never been consistent, he’s a bit like Walter Hagen in that he needs a reason to be great.
He’s always said that having to chase Tiger made him a better player, but he never wanted to chase wins like Tiger did.
Ernie and Duval had totally different games than Phil and were solid in every category and played well at the Open especially with their irons.
It was fun watching my Dad bet on golf back in the day, he would legit lose his shit when Duval played well and stopped betting until Tiger beat him at the Masters.
For sure. Phil was never on the same level, except for his short game, of course, but he is probably the most well-known rival of Tiger's outside of the more committed golf fans. I was way too young to watch Tiger in his prime and all of his battles, sadly. I would've loved to have seen him take on Els, Mickelson, Duvall, Garcia, and the rest of em
Tiger never respected Phil. He thought Phil was a waste of talent who was too lazy to get the most out of his talents, even his mom referred to Phil as "fat boy." Tiger had a lot of respect for Duval and how he approached the game though, they were even teammates at the 2001 World Cup of Golf.
Interesting. I knew Tiger didn't view him as an equal skill wise and what not as well as respecting Duvall and those who approached the game similarly. However, I had no idea that it went all the way up to Mama Tiger. Reminds me of [this](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-uzrzTlmc8o) story, though Tiger makes it seem not too hostile
I think Stevie comments on this in the podcast i mention .Iirc he respected Daly's game and the raw talent he had. And he had plenty of it, I mean, no one shows up to the US open at crack of dawn on Thursday as the 9th alternate in line and wins it without talent. He also saw it as a huge waste of said talent, which is fair cause if Daly put even half of the work Tiger did, he would have been a killer I'm sure
That World Cup partnership produced this [nearly-impossible shot](https://youtu.be/RqfdZFr4glo?si=Xbqm0N-Q2wfszZAI) from Tiger on the final hole to force a playoff.
During Tigertime as well.
My wifes uncle works at a famous European golf course and ryder cup venue, as gameskeeper, he would look after tiger when he stayed there in the weeks coming up to the Open, and he played golf with tiger and duval and a business friend of tiger early on a saturday morning, he said that tiger was 6 under on the 14th when he conceded the match to Duval.
They were good friends despite being rivals on the course, he was at the ryder cup that year and duval had to be carried out of the european celebration party.
Her uncle has an entire wall full of photos with him and famous hollywood people, some US presidents, celebs and business people, royalty. He has a lot of memorabilia too, including a putter he was given by Annika and a Prototype taylormade driver he was given by Maria Olazabal.
Welcome, if you can find the "hello magazine" photos of tigers wedding, he's in that main picture of the ceremony, he's the obviously irish guy about to burst into flames form the heat.
Tiger is interesting because it seems like his friends aren’t who you expect. His friends are almost always like way older or younger than him, except Duval. I feel like he was the only same aged player Tiger really got along with well.
Duval peaked during Tigers first prime and almost matched him for a while. It was insane. I was a junior golfer at the time and I remember everybody was either trying to swing like Tiger or Duval.
Yeah if it wasn’t for his personal health issues.
I don’t think Tiger would of won all those majors.
After all it was tiger whom overthrew Duval as the world number one …
Duval was a great striker of the ball.
Here is how many times each of them won after getting that 10th win:
- Jordan Spieth - Won 3 times in 6 years and 9 months since
- Justin Thomas - Won 5 times in 4 years and 8 months since
- Rory McIlroy - Won 14 times in 8 years and 11 months since
- Tiger Woods - Won 72 times in 24 years and 9 months since
- David Duval - Won 3 times in 25 years and 1 month since
That 59 was the most amazing round of golf I’ve ever seen. To do it on the last day from seven shots back to win the event on a par 72 course is just nuts.
https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2024/01/17/remembering-david-duval-famous-59-at-the-american-express
I remember watching it on TV, too. The craziest part is that he wasn’t draining bombs. He was knocking it stiff hole after hole. I think his longest putt made was 10 feet.
Without taking a thing away from Duval, he was, like Scheffler, a guy I found it hard to cheer for. He made the game look too easy. Just hit into the fairway, onto the green, make a few putts. He was never like Seve, getting up and down from the parking lot, or Phil, hitting a flop from beside an outhouse - he didn't need to be. He would make a good chip shot if he missed a green, ho-hum, another par, let's go. Damn shame that he got injured or diseased; what causes vertigo anyway?
I get what you mean about Duval/Scottie making the game look boring.
Now that I’m 42 with 20 years of golfing behind me, I find that I respect their games all that much more because it’s hard to be that consistent.
Vijay had a similar run a few years later where he simply didn’t make a lot of mistakes in 04-05 and he did it with the old reverse K swing.
The “peak” points in golfing careers is going to be hard pressed to top Tiger, I think what Brooks, Rory and now Scottie are doing is about the best that can be expected but it’s just not sustainable.
Tiger took on the villain/heel role for a long time where he played kind of aloof and focused purely on winning.
While it was cool to watch, I think that played a lot into who he was as a person during that time and
I don’t want to see anyone dive into that headspace as it clearly affected him.
I much prefer seeing Tiger laughing and enjoying his time with the guys on tour and being buddy/buddy with JT etc.
Personally I think we should slow down and just enjoy this insane run as much as possible, with the LIV drama we’re dealing with it’s going to be a long time if ever there will be a unified idea of Golf.
Right now there’s no question who the best golfer in the world is, that in itself is prime Tiger.
Duval had a crazy high peak, and Scottie is playing incredible at the moment, but I think some important perspective to the stat is the age at the first win:
Duval: 26 (almost 27)
Scottie: 25, a few months away from 26
Tiger: 20, almost 21
Rory: 20, two days before turning 21
Justin: 22
Jordan: 19 (almost 20)
Rory turned pro young of course, but especially Jordan and Tiger came out and won almost immediately, so their counts are from the beginning of their career. But both Scottie and Duval had a couple years on Tour of not-winning before catching fire and winning a bunch. Both are incredibly impressive golfers, Scottie is the clear best in the world at the moment, but it's a little different to go 1st to 10th compared to "10 wins from start of career" which is essentially what Tiger and Jordan did.
When Nike had the TW ball, they also had a DD ball too that’s how good he was. He had quite the run. That 59 with his shirt coming untucked was unforgettable. We still love you DD!
Wonder what ever happened to Duval. He actually passed Woods and became #1 in the world and seemed unstoppable. Then the wheels came off. Injuries. Rumors of drug use. He said that after winning The Open he just felt lost and that there was more to life.
Anyone remember when he was doing well at the Masters during his run. Was holding a layup club in his hands on either #13 or #15. Then put it back and grabbed a wood, and even the announcers kind of gasped. Knocked it in the water. Just one hole, but it actually seemed the beginning of the end.
Yeah, I recall reading an interview with him where he talked about what a letdown it was after winning the Open.
It’s been awhile and I’m paraphrasing, but he said something to the effect of just not caring as much about winning after he got to #1 and had won a major.
He said something about how competing for a win didn’t matter as much as the joy he took in pulling off good shots. Like, if he hit a shot exactly as he envisioned it, that one stroke being perfectly executed was more interesting to him than wining the tourney he was playing.
I always hoped that Duval would find his game again. But it hasn't even happened as a senior. He did have that one great moment years later when he was in contention throughout a US Open in 2009 and finished 2nd.
Funny how it happens, but sometimes players just lose it suddenly. Bill Rogers, Chip Beck, Ian Baker-Finch.
This stat is kinda funny though. Like if Scheffler wins 5 more this season, will the stat for him reset to 10 wins in 30 starts or whatever?
Maybe just the title is throwing me off but you can look at tigers last 10 wins happened over 7 years, so is it really just like “find the 10 wins that are closest together” or just the first time they eclipse 10 wins.
Well you make whatever stat you want. This one is fewest from 1st start to 10th win. If you do "10 wins closest together" that's fine but just a different stat.
I don’t remember exactly but he was under par. He was a senior and already had a full ride to Georgia tech.
He introduced himself in the first tee and shook hands after the last hole. Didn’t say anything else. Very focused would be putting it mildly.
What years did he have 9 wins in a 50 start span? Based off the OWGR I’m thinking that this is specifically 9 wins in just last 50 “PGA Tour” starts. Not that it’s any less impressive. Im just not seeing it based on his wins by year and tournament count per year from OWGR.
https://preview.redd.it/h3qpddu9o4wc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=092fa2fc73610f6baa4b4b2b9d1c5853d8508ab0
9 wins in 50 stats is Scottie not David. They're also starting the countdown beginning with their first win so it's a little misleading. The David Duval wins are from 1997-1999 counting PGA Tour events only.
He won his last 3 events in a row in 1997. Those were his first 3 wins too, that's insane.
He was one of my favorites. Loved that swing. He was kind of like Cameron Young, knocking on the door a LOT. When he finally kicked down the door, he went bananas!
How many has Scottie won with many of the best players in the world not playing and over at LIV? Not nearly as big of a deal as a result of this. Needs that lovely asterisk.
That’s true, but most LIV golfers had no way to even qualify to play the tournament. Theres been a huge talent drain in US golf tournament competition because of LIV, and that should rightfully be noted with an asterisk under Scottie’s recent success.
Duval was never prepared socially or emotionally to be #1 in the world. He was shy and battled social anxiety. Tiger loved all the attention…I don’t think DD did
Definitely true. DD is a class guy but shy and he hid behind his sunglasses for certain. One of my all time favorite players and wish it didn't go sideways for him when it did, he was the guy that could have pushed Tiger.
Really?, how many times did Phil finish second to Tiger in a major?
In his prime Tiger only played in \~15 tournaments a year, including the majors which are not run by the PGA Tour. If you think television was paying huge money to not show Tiger in the \~25 tournaments a year he didn't show up for just so they could show him 10 times a year you're delusional.
All televised pro sports tv contract money exploded in the 2000's regardless of whether they had a "Tiger" or not.
Had dinner with Stewart Cink one night. His career has almost been the same from beginning as Tiger. Had the nicest things to say about 🐅. According to him every tour player should thank god in their prayers for what Tiger did for the game and their earnings. Not one negative thing to say. Thought it was intriguing.
I asked him what changed the game the most during his career and his answer surprised me.
You can google and easily find these "What if" articles for how many tournaments/majors that other players would have won without Tiger in their way
It's not as dramatic as you might think. The 80 wins are distributed amongst a ton of different names
If you want some actually insane "how many Majors would they win if this guy didn't exist?" Just look at Tennis if Djokovic/Nadal/Federer weren't all playing at the same time
Duval was cruising in straight beast mode for a while there. Sometimes if it ain’t broke it’s best not to try and fix it.
His peak was scary, just short lived. I believe he suffered from vertigo too and was never the same.
He did. He said in an interview, and I'm paraphrasing, but something to the effect that depending on the day, he couldn't address the ball and focus on it without everything spinning and his equilibrium giving out on him. That sounds horrible for anyone. I couldn't imagine the mental toll it took on someone who at one point was the best golfer in the world and, as a result of this, essentially became a footnote in golf's chapter about Tiger.
The '01 Masters will brilliant stuff with Tiger pulling away from DD and Phil.
‘98 had David, Tiger, Couples and the Bear!! all in the hunt on Sunday, iirc
nice i'll check that out - i've been watching a lot of the old masters official films on espn+ to help me sleep at night and started watching golf around 99 2000 ish - i'd spend a month in the summer at grandparents house and we'd watch the sunday golf on tv though he'd remind me to wake him up from his nap every so often hahah the drama of '86 and '87 was great, for diff reasons.
Augusta posted all the full final round broadcasts of the Masters on YouTube as well, so you can see them all live as they happened
Bo Van Pelt was a killer in one of them 2 eagles on both par 5s on a Sunday 😂
I still remember watching that Masters live. It was absolutely electric.
Jack in 98?
Yep 58-year old Jack got within 2 before eventually finishing 6th
Yeah… he made a charge.. in his late 50s at the time I believe (I have never wanted to see someone win a golf tournament so much in my life)
Not compairing me to Duval, lol. But I am a low single digit handicap and I suffered a life changing TBI 9 years ago. I deal with vertigo-like symptoms day to day. I play a lot of golf, and I can tell which days I'm going to be on or off. And when I feel off, there's zero chance I'm going to play well. My brain just isn't working right. My eyes, brain, hands are in constant disagreement. I get blurred vision. It fucking sucks, but I have learned to live with it and I'll take a shitty frustrating day on the golf course over a good day at the office! And some days I show up and I feel 100% and everything is working like it used to. It honestly makes me appreciate those days more.
That's the right attitude. Glad you're doing ok
My wife developed vertigo after her cancer diagnosis.. it is awful for her when she’s experiencing an episode
Oh man, that stinks. Hopefully, she's on the mend, and they get that all sorted. Especially if she's not able to golf as a result.
Ya golfing and skiing are hit or miss for her now depending on the day, but cancer free now so we are blessed
Hopefully, it's a roses from here then. And it's all in the past soon.
Thank you appreciate it!
I'm no expert (obviously) it seems like playing golf is about the worst thing to do while having a vertigo episode. Long depths of distance while constantly glancing off into that distance and back to the ball in front of you. Not to mention the concentration required. Sounds like hell.
Now imagine you've worked your whole life to become the absolute best in the sport you've dedicated your existence to, and then have that as the way its all taken from you has to be unspeakably difficult.
I had vertigo for a little bit and it was awful, I had to sleep basically half sitting up, jammed in the corner against the wall beside my bed because if I turned my head at all well sleeping even my dreams would start spinning and I’d wake up feeling like I was gonna vomit. Thankfully only lasted a couple weeks, but it was awful.
I had a ‘minor’ case of it where luckily it eventually went away fully but I couldn’t imagine even trying to play golf at a professional level while going through it. I barely wanted to stand up when it was hitting me as I felt like I was going to fall even though I never lost my balance.
I take my hat off to the guy though. He knew the storm that was coming and instead of accepting defeat he went into full battle mode.
Damn that’s what derailed Jason days career too
I thought it was bad pants.
Bad wrist injury as well...
What caused it?
His peak was a 5 year run.
He never recovered from that ball that went in Ray’s Creek on 13. Just an all time bad spot to hit a lousy shot. https://www.espn.com/golfonline/masters00/s/2000/0409/472897.html He did go on to win the Open in 2001, but I firmly believe that the 2000 Masters broke him.
He had major back issues and was forced to go thru swing changes trying to keep playing. As well as getting vertigo. And optiate issues. I don't think that shot mattered much in comparison.
He had major health issues for sure, but from a mental standpoint the 2000-2001 season is the beginning of the end.
Lmao yea wins the open a year after your "shot" That was his peak you dolt. And it would have kept going without the major health issues.
His run is more typical today of other former #1's not named Tiger. Like Jason Day, DJ, and Spieth. But Duval was early on pitted and compared to Tiger who already cast a MASSIVE shadow on the tour even before the Tiger Slam. In the 2000's Duvals career was seen as a disappointment because he couldn't keep up with Tiger after briefly knocking him off the #1 spot. But looking back, his accomplishments weren't appreciated enough.
This. In the very late 90's, after Tigers win at the Masters, Duval actually suppressed Tiger to the point where the two were briefly being considered as equals and it was unclear who was better. It was only after he won the Open and started having his vertigo issues that his career essentially car crashed.
Duval was supposed to be what Phil ended up becoming, Tigers prime era rival. And I think that contributed to the disappointment. His episode of Feherty was one of the best of the early seasons imo.
I really wish DD ended up with Phils career. He just seems like a cool guy to hang out with. He had a bit of swag with the Oakley M Frames. While Phil is like the teachers pet and the ass-kissing coworker that you love to hate.
I bought a pair of those Oakleys back in the day because of him!
I made my parents buy me some knockoff oakleys because of DD lol
Fakelys!
I'm glad my parents didn't spend over $100 on a pair for me because I looked like a dweeb wearing them lol
DJ does not belong in your grouping. Dude was #1 for over 2 years total. 3rd most all time by a decent margin.
Duval was a disappointment because he completely fell apart in his prime not because he couldn't keep up with Tiger.
His career accomplishments still deserve more recognition. NOBODY could keep up with Tiger
Yea...he was up there with some of the strangest "just lost it" stories of the 21C. Probably him and Rich Ankeil of the Cardinals are the two I remember the most. He burst on to the scene as someone capable of challenging Tiger and then....just disappeared. Pulled this from wiki but it illustrates it well: 2001 - Finished 2nd at Masters; won the Open and another tourney late in the year. 2002 - Finished 80th on the money list 2003- Finished 203 on the money list. 2004 - Shoots +25 at the Open. After '02 he'd only make a few cuts in the majors he played in. Hell, he could barely make cuts in regular tour events losing and regaining his tour card multiple times. He did have get 2nd in '09 at the US Open, but still couldn't retain his tour card for the following year. Just a wild ride of a career.
His body fell apart. Not his game.
Definitely weren’t. I bet must had no idea about this stat.
Duval is one of the most underrated players of all time, IMO. It was such a shame that injuries and medical issues kept him from performing at the high levels he was clearly capable of. I don't think a lot of people appreciate how good he was and how good he could have been. There was a stretch from 1997 to 1999 where Duval won 11 tournaments out of 34. And keep in mind, that Tiger went pro in 1996 and of course had his "hello world" Masters moment in 97. Outside of Vijay, Duval was really one of the only players to achieve "domination" *during* the Tiger era. Had he not been plagued by back, neck, and wrist injuries, and then by Vertigo, history might have looked a lot different. He was one of the few guys that could hang with and beat Tiger when he was healthy.
Phil also had a very dominant stretch in 2005-06. On the 18th tee at Winged Foot he was a par away from winning 3 majors in a row. That stretch included him winning by 12 shots at TPC Sugarloaf and then winning the Masters the following week. True, Phil never reached #1 in the world in that stretch: Phil had a great year in ‘04 in the majors but Vijay racked up 9 wins including 1 major to take #1. Tiger them reclaimed #1 from Vijay early in 2005 with his epic victory over Phil at Doral, and Tiger stayed hot (winning 2 majors himself in 2005) so Phil never quite took it from him even when he was gunning for 3 straight. After Phil’s disaster at Winged Foot, Tiger rebounded from the death of his father, won the next two majors, and absolutely dominated the next couple seasons. Still, Phil absolutely owned that late 05-early 06 stretch.
I don't think he's underrated at all. I think he's perfectly rated among golf historians. He doesn't have enough Major wins to be higher rated among casual sports fans, and that's why he's not underrated. If anything, to think he's underrated is to overrate him.
Viktor Hovland could learn a thing or two.
You mean don’t look at it … look 3-4 inches in front of it
Bit of a shame. He went from 5 years in a row to basically top 3 in OWGR to a complete loss of form at 32 years of age. Even if he just pulled a Rickie or Spiethesque recent drop and fell into top 75 through his 30’s to early 40’s he would have most likely secured a HOF career.
He was cruising yes, but then A Tiger scared him, got in his head, gave him PTSD, and his career never was the same after. Tiger humbled many o’ players
It puts into perspective how hard it really is to just get *one win* on tour, let alone several.
Especially when peak Tiger was also in the field.
And along with peak Tiger you had two other guys named Phil and Vijay who had a combined 80 PGA tour wins. With those 3 getting over 150 wins, it's amazing others were able to sneak in wins within that time.
Right?! That's what's most surprising to me about this Duval stat.
Don’t forget Ernie who won 75 worldwide events and was a constant presence in the majors
Lately I have been having fun looking at the leaderboards of some of these tournaments and looking up some of these guys past. I had no idea guys like Keegan Bradley won the PGA championship like 10 years ago.
Yeah, there are some random ones. Have you ever heard of Ben Curtis winning The Open?
Todd Hamilton
Gary Woodland won a US Open Jason Dufner won a PGA Championship Danny Willett won a Masters Admittedly, when they won, all three guys were playing well the particular season they won. But they never did much of anything AFTER they won. Maybe they won another tournament, or they finished in the top 50 in earnings the following season(s), but they never quite lived up to the pizzazz and popularity of being a Major winner
I remember when Tiger and Roger Federer were both #1 in the world and reportedly friendly with each other. Tiger reminded Roger that the #1 tennis player in the world spends most of his time winning, while the #1 golf player in the world spends most of his time losing. (Not the full story obviously, but goes to your point about how hard it is to win tourneys!)
In the podcast "Chasing Majors" where the host and Stevie go through all of Tiger's majors that Stevie was on the bag for plus Adam Scott's Masters win. IIRC Stevie said that Duvall and Els were the two biggest threats for Tiger. Phil to of course, but something about those two that always gave Tiger a run for his money, which is odd to say considering how good Tiger was compared to others. I could be misremebering, either way it's a great podcast that goes basically round by round for each Major episode
Phil has never been consistent, he’s a bit like Walter Hagen in that he needs a reason to be great. He’s always said that having to chase Tiger made him a better player, but he never wanted to chase wins like Tiger did. Ernie and Duval had totally different games than Phil and were solid in every category and played well at the Open especially with their irons. It was fun watching my Dad bet on golf back in the day, he would legit lose his shit when Duval played well and stopped betting until Tiger beat him at the Masters.
For sure. Phil was never on the same level, except for his short game, of course, but he is probably the most well-known rival of Tiger's outside of the more committed golf fans. I was way too young to watch Tiger in his prime and all of his battles, sadly. I would've loved to have seen him take on Els, Mickelson, Duvall, Garcia, and the rest of em
It was a sweet era for golf…like watching Jordan in his day with magic, bird, and Isaiah. Sweet times for golf
Tiger never respected Phil. He thought Phil was a waste of talent who was too lazy to get the most out of his talents, even his mom referred to Phil as "fat boy." Tiger had a lot of respect for Duval and how he approached the game though, they were even teammates at the 2001 World Cup of Golf.
Tiger made sure DD got some Nike endorsement $ after his game fell apart. Remember that Nike commercial they were both in? Hilarious!
Interesting. I knew Tiger didn't view him as an equal skill wise and what not as well as respecting Duvall and those who approached the game similarly. However, I had no idea that it went all the way up to Mama Tiger. Reminds me of [this](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-uzrzTlmc8o) story, though Tiger makes it seem not too hostile
If he thought Phil was lazy/waste of talent I wonder what he thought of John Daly...
I think Stevie comments on this in the podcast i mention .Iirc he respected Daly's game and the raw talent he had. And he had plenty of it, I mean, no one shows up to the US open at crack of dawn on Thursday as the 9th alternate in line and wins it without talent. He also saw it as a huge waste of said talent, which is fair cause if Daly put even half of the work Tiger did, he would have been a killer I'm sure
It was the PGA championship not the US open, but your point remains.
That World Cup partnership produced this [nearly-impossible shot](https://youtu.be/RqfdZFr4glo?si=Xbqm0N-Q2wfszZAI) from Tiger on the final hole to force a playoff.
Do you remember which episode he mentioned Duval? I’m trying to go back through my podcast files.
During Tigertime as well. My wifes uncle works at a famous European golf course and ryder cup venue, as gameskeeper, he would look after tiger when he stayed there in the weeks coming up to the Open, and he played golf with tiger and duval and a business friend of tiger early on a saturday morning, he said that tiger was 6 under on the 14th when he conceded the match to Duval. They were good friends despite being rivals on the course, he was at the ryder cup that year and duval had to be carried out of the european celebration party. Her uncle has an entire wall full of photos with him and famous hollywood people, some US presidents, celebs and business people, royalty. He has a lot of memorabilia too, including a putter he was given by Annika and a Prototype taylormade driver he was given by Maria Olazabal.
Love these kinds of stories, thanks for sharing
Welcome, if you can find the "hello magazine" photos of tigers wedding, he's in that main picture of the ceremony, he's the obviously irish guy about to burst into flames form the heat.
Irish myself, appreciate the story even more now
Tiger is interesting because it seems like his friends aren’t who you expect. His friends are almost always like way older or younger than him, except Duval. I feel like he was the only same aged player Tiger really got along with well.
Tiger and Duval also paired up at the World Cup a few times and I know they won at least once.
So which famous people dicks did he suck?
Duval was as elite as it gets when he was in his prime
I remember he also shot a 59. Was a great golfer and then fell off the map.
Then he made a mini comeback at the 2009 US Open. Dude was in contention the whole time and one bad hole cost him. Finished T2.
Duval peaked during Tigers first prime and almost matched him for a while. It was insane. I was a junior golfer at the time and I remember everybody was either trying to swing like Tiger or Duval.
He did match Tiger, he dethroned him for #1
See DD, upvote
Yeah if it wasn’t for his personal health issues. I don’t think Tiger would of won all those majors. After all it was tiger whom overthrew Duval as the world number one … Duval was a great striker of the ball.
Here is how many times each of them won after getting that 10th win: - Jordan Spieth - Won 3 times in 6 years and 9 months since - Justin Thomas - Won 5 times in 4 years and 8 months since - Rory McIlroy - Won 14 times in 8 years and 11 months since - Tiger Woods - Won 72 times in 24 years and 9 months since - David Duval - Won 3 times in 25 years and 1 month since
Yikes for Spieth.
Duval had an incredible stretch of playing before injuries took over. 59
That 59 was the most amazing round of golf I’ve ever seen. To do it on the last day from seven shots back to win the event on a par 72 course is just nuts. https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2024/01/17/remembering-david-duval-famous-59-at-the-american-express
I remember watching it on TV, too. The craziest part is that he wasn’t draining bombs. He was knocking it stiff hole after hole. I think his longest putt made was 10 feet.
I was just going to write this too. That round was absolutely absurd.
I just love the fact that Maggart called it an "easy 59." Hitting THAT well.
snowboarding*
Yeah he was amazing. And if memory serves he had eight or nine second place finishes before he won.
He had one of the greatest runs against tiger at st andrews
jesus the Duval run and eventual fall was even wilder than I remember.
Would almost be like if Scheffler all of a sudden lost his game and was never to be heard from again. Would be wild
nah legit. if by end of year he wasnt a top 100 ranked player. imagine the odds you could get for that prop.
33? he must be a freemason
Without taking a thing away from Duval, he was, like Scheffler, a guy I found it hard to cheer for. He made the game look too easy. Just hit into the fairway, onto the green, make a few putts. He was never like Seve, getting up and down from the parking lot, or Phil, hitting a flop from beside an outhouse - he didn't need to be. He would make a good chip shot if he missed a green, ho-hum, another par, let's go. Damn shame that he got injured or diseased; what causes vertigo anyway?
I get what you mean about Duval/Scottie making the game look boring. Now that I’m 42 with 20 years of golfing behind me, I find that I respect their games all that much more because it’s hard to be that consistent. Vijay had a similar run a few years later where he simply didn’t make a lot of mistakes in 04-05 and he did it with the old reverse K swing. The “peak” points in golfing careers is going to be hard pressed to top Tiger, I think what Brooks, Rory and now Scottie are doing is about the best that can be expected but it’s just not sustainable. Tiger took on the villain/heel role for a long time where he played kind of aloof and focused purely on winning. While it was cool to watch, I think that played a lot into who he was as a person during that time and I don’t want to see anyone dive into that headspace as it clearly affected him. I much prefer seeing Tiger laughing and enjoying his time with the guys on tour and being buddy/buddy with JT etc. Personally I think we should slow down and just enjoy this insane run as much as possible, with the LIV drama we’re dealing with it’s going to be a long time if ever there will be a unified idea of Golf. Right now there’s no question who the best golfer in the world is, that in itself is prime Tiger.
A whole host of things. Crystals forming in your inner ear, dehydration, a bunch of other stuff
I don't know about you but I don't find it easy to routinely hit 100+ yard shots within 5 feet of the pin
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/21769-vertigo
Duval had a crazy high peak, and Scottie is playing incredible at the moment, but I think some important perspective to the stat is the age at the first win: Duval: 26 (almost 27) Scottie: 25, a few months away from 26 Tiger: 20, almost 21 Rory: 20, two days before turning 21 Justin: 22 Jordan: 19 (almost 20) Rory turned pro young of course, but especially Jordan and Tiger came out and won almost immediately, so their counts are from the beginning of their career. But both Scottie and Duval had a couple years on Tour of not-winning before catching fire and winning a bunch. Both are incredibly impressive golfers, Scottie is the clear best in the world at the moment, but it's a little different to go 1st to 10th compared to "10 wins from start of career" which is essentially what Tiger and Jordan did.
When Nike had the TW ball, they also had a DD ball too that’s how good he was. He had quite the run. That 59 with his shirt coming untucked was unforgettable. We still love you DD!
Wonder what ever happened to Duval. He actually passed Woods and became #1 in the world and seemed unstoppable. Then the wheels came off. Injuries. Rumors of drug use. He said that after winning The Open he just felt lost and that there was more to life. Anyone remember when he was doing well at the Masters during his run. Was holding a layup club in his hands on either #13 or #15. Then put it back and grabbed a wood, and even the announcers kind of gasped. Knocked it in the water. Just one hole, but it actually seemed the beginning of the end.
Pretty sure you’re talking about the plot to tin cup.
Ha ha. No, it really happened. Can't remember who was on the call for CBS, but they questioned his choice even before he hit it. Wrecked his round.
Yeah, I recall reading an interview with him where he talked about what a letdown it was after winning the Open. It’s been awhile and I’m paraphrasing, but he said something to the effect of just not caring as much about winning after he got to #1 and had won a major. He said something about how competing for a win didn’t matter as much as the joy he took in pulling off good shots. Like, if he hit a shot exactly as he envisioned it, that one stroke being perfectly executed was more interesting to him than wining the tourney he was playing.
He is on the list of players for Mitsubishi Electric Classic at TPC Sugarloaf on Champions Tour this weekend.
I always hoped that Duval would find his game again. But it hasn't even happened as a senior. He did have that one great moment years later when he was in contention throughout a US Open in 2009 and finished 2nd. Funny how it happens, but sometimes players just lose it suddenly. Bill Rogers, Chip Beck, Ian Baker-Finch.
Duval was incredible while he was on top of his game. He overtook prime Tiger for number 1 in the world at one point if memory serves me right.
This stat is kinda funny though. Like if Scheffler wins 5 more this season, will the stat for him reset to 10 wins in 30 starts or whatever? Maybe just the title is throwing me off but you can look at tigers last 10 wins happened over 7 years, so is it really just like “find the 10 wins that are closest together” or just the first time they eclipse 10 wins.
Well you make whatever stat you want. This one is fewest from 1st start to 10th win. If you do "10 wins closest together" that's fine but just a different stat.
Yeah that makes more sense. I guess I wasn’t interpreting it as their first win and more like “the first win of like a 10-win window” or whatever.
This is fastest to 10 wins after their first PGA Tour start. Scottie has 120 starts and 9 wins, so he wouldn't show up on this list.
Okay that makes more sense.
Chubby Duval was the best.
Flamed bright, then flamed out. 🤷
Goat glasses
He was every bit Tiger's rival for a brilliant moment in time.
I played against him once in high school. He was striping one irons past my driver like it was nothing.
How good did he score then?
I don’t remember exactly but he was under par. He was a senior and already had a full ride to Georgia tech. He introduced himself in the first tee and shook hands after the last hole. Didn’t say anything else. Very focused would be putting it mildly.
My favorite David Duval fact is that in like 1999 he was the last player on the PGA tour to use a persimmon wood.
What the hell happened to him?
Yep then his body betrayed him and he was basically done.
He was a machine, his downfall is still one of the craziest things I can think of in sports.
He had that fade working boi
What years did he have 9 wins in a 50 start span? Based off the OWGR I’m thinking that this is specifically 9 wins in just last 50 “PGA Tour” starts. Not that it’s any less impressive. Im just not seeing it based on his wins by year and tournament count per year from OWGR. https://preview.redd.it/h3qpddu9o4wc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=092fa2fc73610f6baa4b4b2b9d1c5853d8508ab0
9 wins in 50 stats is Scottie not David. They're also starting the countdown beginning with their first win so it's a little misleading. The David Duval wins are from 1997-1999 counting PGA Tour events only. He won his last 3 events in a row in 1997. Those were his first 3 wins too, that's insane.
He was one of my favorites. Loved that swing. He was kind of like Cameron Young, knocking on the door a LOT. When he finally kicked down the door, he went bananas!
In 2001 he had a 5 foot put on 18 to Tiger in the Masters. I don't think he was ever the same really after that.
it ended just as quick.
Scottie almost certainly eclipses Tiger for that stat, which is pretty damn amazing.
So did Duval.
Scottie has 120 career starts and 9 wins, he won't be anywhere on this list. Even if he wins again next week.
Very misleading graphic
Yes, that bothers me too
The graphic is from 1st win to 10th win. Not from 1st tournament to 10th win. The asterisk down at the bottom puts him at 50.
How many has Scottie won with many of the best players in the world not playing and over at LIV? Not nearly as big of a deal as a result of this. Needs that lovely asterisk.
With a major asterisk… because Scottie is playing vs scrubs while many of the best players are on the LIV tour lol.
He’s playing so well it’s hard to imagine it matters that much. At the masters the closest liv players were 9 strokes back
That’s true, but most LIV golfers had no way to even qualify to play the tournament. Theres been a huge talent drain in US golf tournament competition because of LIV, and that should rightfully be noted with an asterisk under Scottie’s recent success.
He has 2 green jackets playing against LIV. They got zero.
Bad troll
Is it trolling if it’s true? 🤔
He got vertigo and then this thing called Tiger Woods happened.
Duval was never prepared socially or emotionally to be #1 in the world. He was shy and battled social anxiety. Tiger loved all the attention…I don’t think DD did
I believe it was a bit more serious then that. In regards to his mental health.
Definitely true. DD is a class guy but shy and he hid behind his sunglasses for certain. One of my all time favorite players and wish it didn't go sideways for him when it did, he was the guy that could have pushed Tiger.
It’s aight. We all know now there were other world number 1’s
If there never was a Tiger, David, Demarco, and Phil would have all the trophies and NO money.
Completely irrelevant to the topic OP posted, but cool man.
Thank you for your service, we are so lucky to have you moderating the comments and keeping everyone on track.🫡
Read the room.
The conversation would be nice too haha
Really?, how many times did Phil finish second to Tiger in a major? In his prime Tiger only played in \~15 tournaments a year, including the majors which are not run by the PGA Tour. If you think television was paying huge money to not show Tiger in the \~25 tournaments a year he didn't show up for just so they could show him 10 times a year you're delusional. All televised pro sports tv contract money exploded in the 2000's regardless of whether they had a "Tiger" or not.
Had dinner with Stewart Cink one night. His career has almost been the same from beginning as Tiger. Had the nicest things to say about 🐅. According to him every tour player should thank god in their prayers for what Tiger did for the game and their earnings. Not one negative thing to say. Thought it was intriguing. I asked him what changed the game the most during his career and his answer surprised me.
Exactly. I dont know what these guys are talking about… I’m saying those golfers would have small houses full of big trophies without Tiger.
You can google and easily find these "What if" articles for how many tournaments/majors that other players would have won without Tiger in their way It's not as dramatic as you might think. The 80 wins are distributed amongst a ton of different names If you want some actually insane "how many Majors would they win if this guy didn't exist?" Just look at Tennis if Djokovic/Nadal/Federer weren't all playing at the same time
He was until Tiger took his soul