ESPN Golf Online: Duval has earned Sherwood


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Duval has earned Sherwood

By Kevin D.Miller
ABC Sports Online
August 2 9:03am ET

There are some things that Tiger Woods has not done yet and one of those things is beating David Duval in head to head competition. Woods and Duval have not met on the back nine with a tournament hanging in the balance. One interesting thing about the Motorola Showdown at Sherwood is that it gives these two fierce competitors an opportunity to lay it all on the line against each other.
Many fans of the sport will be tuning in on Monday night to see Woods compete one more time. To some, it would seem like Woods can just show up to a tournament and get the victory. Victory won't come that easily. At the Motorola Showdown at Sherwood, Woods faces a player that has been as good or better than him.

“ Once he got on the PGA tour he was finishing second, coming close. And all of a sudden once he started winning, he just kept winning. ”

— Tiger Woods on Duval

Over the past two years, there has not been a stronger measure for consistency in the sport than David Duval. He has been ranked number one or two for nearly two years; winner of four 1999 tournaments- including the Players Championship; won 3 tournaments in a row which hasn't been accomplished since Nick Price accomplished the feat in 1993. Duval has not only been consistent, but also dominant. He has been so dominant that he is even at a loss to explain how he has gotten to be such a force.
"I've been asked that a lot. I certainly wish I would pinpoint and give you the one small thing that made a difference but I can't," reflects Duval on his PGA success. "I just think there's a combination of being there a lot. Of playing well. Just being more comfortable with your surroundings. Maybe having your priorities set a little better. It's many, many things but it's not some light switch that got turned on that made the difference."
Duval has been so dominant that he soon had a "tiger" stalking him to lay claim to the number one ranking. "I came on the scene pretty quickly," shares Woods. "I made an impact very quickly and he did as well. And once he got on the PGA tour he was finishing second, coming close. And all of a sudden once he started winning, he just kept winning."
"He is obviously a good player," comments Jeff Maggert, winner of the 1999 Anderson Consulting match play tournament. "He has a good mental outlook on the game. If you looked at our sport over the last 15 years, there is really one guy who breaks through and does really well for a couple of years. Nick Price did it a few years ago. It is hard to sustain that over a long period of time. It will be interesting to see if David can do it for a 5 or 10 year stretch."
Duval hasn't stopped winning. In this year alone, he has already earned over 3 million dollars. Last year, he took home a record 2.5 million in earnings. His game continues to elevate. He shot a 59 in the final round of the 1999 Bob Hope Classic. Although, his game is struggling a bit now, Duval is a competitor to be feared and he looks forward to beating Woods in match play Monday night.
"I think it's a unique opportunity to be involved with something that could potentially be very beneficial to the game," says Duval. "I think what I saw most was the opportunity to be a part of a match that was going to expose our game to an audience that under other circumstances might not be exposed to it. Then of course, it's hard to decline an opportunity to beat Tiger at his own game. He's considered probably the best match play player in the world."
Tiger Woods understands the talent and drive of his primetime competitor. "David and I are ranked number one and two in the world," says Tiger. " And because of that I think we have a rivalry but we haven't had a rivalry on the golf course. We have a rivalry on the world rankings. Or the money list. Or stats on the PGA tour."
David Duval has earned the right to take part in the rivalry Monday night just by being the best.

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