ESPN Golf Online: Q&A with Duval's college coach Puggy Blackmon


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Q&A with Duval's college coach Puggy Blackmon

Special to ABC Sports Online
August 3 2:26pm ET

David Duval didn't become one of the best golfers in the world all by himself. The seemingly reclusive supernova of golf received a lot of guidance and encouragement along the way. Many of the physical tools he gained came from his dad, PGA Senior Tour member Bob Duval. But Duval's college coach at Georgia Tech, Puggy Blackmon, played a huge role in Duval's overall development. Blackmon, now the head golf coach at the University of South Carolina, was a friend of the Duvals from his days living near the family in Jacksonville. ABC Sports Online spoke with Blackmon before the Motorola Showdown at Sherwood.

David Duval keeps an eye on his shot.

What was your relationship with Duval like at Georgia Tech?
My job is to try to realize what a kid is all about in a short period of time so I can coach him. With David, my role wasn't only as a coach, but also as a friend.
David is a very unique young man. I have never seen anything quite like him before and I have never seen anything quite like him since. I felt that he was going to be a very unique player. Actually, early on at Georgia Tech, I got Dr. Bob Rotella (former Director of Sports Psychology at the University of Virginia and consultant to the PGA and LPGA) to help me with David. When David and I went through some difficult times, Bob was there to arbitrate.
David and I were both very strong-willed and stubborn people and we needed somebody to bring us together. In the back and forth I had with David, we helped each other grow. But I always felt that David, no matter what was going on between us, was going to be a great player. I used to tell David that, and sometimes he didn't quite believe me. I have never doubted the fact that he was going to be one of the top players in the world.
He is a very bright young man. He is a very creative young man. He likes to read, and he also likes his private time. If he had to choose between a cocktail party and reading a good book, I can promise you he is going to choose the book. I like that about David. He is a very honest person and really appreciates people being honest with him.
What are the differences between Tiger and David's games?
I have known Tiger and David for a long time. I recruited Tiger even though I knew he wasn't coming east. When I was at Georgia Tech, we traveled with Stanford during Tiger's freshman year. He and David are a lot alike. I told David, you guys could be the best thing to happen to each other. You can be the next Nicklaus/Palmer. I said you both have the ability, the charisma, and the game.
These guys have everything. I think David has done a tremendous job developing a strong game around the green. I think Tiger is starting to do a good job with that also. Tiger is staying with his game plan and not just hitting his driver. He is going into his bag.
They both have similar strengths. They are both very focused. David really respects Tiger's game. He said me to last spring that this kid (Tiger) can really play. You ask any of the great players what percentage of the game is mental, and they will say 90 to 95%. I think David has gotten extremely good at the mental game. I think Tiger is starting to mature in that area. When both of these guys reach their pique, which hopefully will be in the next few years, the numbers they are shooting could be unbelievable.
How has Duval's game changed since you saw him at Georgia Tech?
David is hitting it 30, 40 yards longer than he did it at Georgia Tech. That's unbelievable. I think he has refined his golf swing and become more compact. Besides that, it's just David being secure in the fact that he is a great player. I think David is spending his time where he needs to spend it, and that is getting his mind ready to play. He is choosing and spacing events to get momentum on his side. The toughest thing he has to deal with now is remaining motivated for regular events. All of his efforts are focused on winning a major. And in the majors, he may be trying a little too hard. Once he wins a major, I don't know what will happen.
What do you expect to see in this event?
Hopefully, the event will give people the opportunity to know these kids better because they are both awesome kids. They are both intelligent, they've got charisma -- they have everything. So, I think this event is a good opportunity to isolate them one-on-one. I'm interested to see how they are going to handle it. Are you they going to be loose and see how deep they can take it? I just hope they don't go the other way and grind it into a head-to-head thing. I don't think they will.
They are still kids. People don't realize that. They are still in their 20's. I hope it will be fun. I cannot imagine that they are motivated by the money. I have always been a huge fan of the Shell's Wonderful World of Golf . I think this can be on par with that.
I know that David is not particularly fond of match play. He loves stroke play. Tiger has done well in match play, while David likes to play the field. I would give the advantage to Tiger, because he seems to play well during matchplay. I just want to see how many birdies they both make.
Is it arrogance or confidence that Duval exudes?
I don't think there is one iota of arrogance in David Duval. He is, on the other hand, a very bright, focused and intelligent young man.
David is a very confident young man, and that may come across as arrogance. He really thinks he is the best. It's just plain confidence. When David gets ready to play, he goes into his little bubble and doesn't like to be disturbed. People say David acts like fans aren't even out there cheering him on.
This year at Augusta, a local television station followed me as I walked with David. They were waiting for me to interact with him to see if they could pick up anything. In reality, though, David didn't even know I was there. When he gets into that bubble, it takes him awhile to get out of that bubble. For quite a while, people were trying to interview David right after his round, and it took him a while to learn how to come out of the coma he put himself in.
Why does he wear glasses?
David has real bad left eye. When he was in school, he really battled dust, pollen, and allergies. He got the reputation as an extremely slow and very deliberate player. But he just couldn't see. We tried the glasses, and I think that helped his play.
The one thing he is learning is to take them off. When he is done with a round, he has started to remove the shades so people see what he looks like. David's personality is in his eyes, and I think people are just starting to see that.

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