Tuesday, January 16, 2001
David and Goliath: A friendship
with interesting implications
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — A friendship
between Tiger Woods and David Duval has materialized, even though
a rivalry has not.
That doesn't mean it's too late for one.
Woods, the No. 1 player in the world, and
Duval, the only other guy to occupy that position over the past
three years, have appeared to be inseparable in the last month.
They were teammates in Argentina at the
World Cup, which they won with a tag-team performance. Perhaps
it was just a coincidence, but Duval terminated his contract with
Titleist two weeks later. Once legal wrangling is settled, he
is set to join Woods as a pitchman for Nike.
Woods said Nike consulted him on a possible
deal with Duval, and he gave it a thumbs-up.
“They just wanted my opinion,”
he said. “I said, 'David is a great guy.' I think it would
be great to have him at Nike. It would be a great fit for both
sides.”
They flew to Maui together on Woods' jet
for the Mercedes Championships, making a pit stop in Las Vegas
to work with swing coach Butch Harmon and to get in a few rounds
at the blackjack table.
“My stack was smaller,” Duval
confessed. “It was also a different color.”
Where did this friendship take root? Neither
one can trace it to a specific time or event.
They played golf and went fishing in Ireland,
along with Mark O'Meara and others, a week before the '99 British
Open and a month before Woods and Duval met in the “Showdown
at Sherwood,” the first made-for-TV exhibition won by Woods.
They became partners in the Ryder Cup —
both on and off the course. Woods and Duval were the loudest critics
that the PGA of America was making too much money off them, and
they were paired for the first time in an alternate-shot match,
losing to Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke.
They were together again in the final round
of the British Open at St. Andrews, where Woods completed the
Grand Slam and showed off his silver claret jug to Duval on the
flight home to Florida.
“It just evolves,” Duval said
of their relationship. “It's just being in each other's company
on a more regular basis.”
A more intriguing question is what this
relationship might mean.
A friendship off the course can pay dividends
on it. Look no further than O'Meara, who was like a big brother
when Woods first turned pro. They played countless practice rounds
together in 1997, on tour and at home.
A year later, O'Meara won the Masters and
the British Open to become the oldest player to win two majors
in one season. He openly gave Woods credit for helping to sharpen
his game and his competitiveness.
Woods and Duval were paired Saturday at
Kapalua. Duval finished with the better score for only the second
time in the seven rounds they have been in the same group, and
the first time since the World Series at Firestone in 1998.
Can Duval reap benefits on the course from
a relationship off the course?
“Maybe that's why we've become such
good friends, because I haven't thought of it in those terms,”
Duval said. “I haven't thought of whether I can gain something
from him.”
But there is always something to be gained
from being around Woods, whose work ethic, focus and passion are
unmatched in golf.
“There are things I can learn about
the game from him,” Duval said. “Is there something
he can pick up from me? It's hard to say. He seems to have a pretty
good grasp on every aspect right now.”
What about competition?
“Maybe that could be something,”
Duval said.
Should Duval return to the form that made
him No. 1 in the world for about four months in 1999 — and
there are signs he is not too far away — that might be the
best thing that could happen to Woods.
He dominated golf last year like few players
before him. At times, Woods competed only against history, and
even that was no contest.
But Woods was best when the challenge was
greatest.
Pushed by Ernie Els in Hawaii, Woods finished
eagle-birdie-birdie in a sudden-death victory. Caught in a surprising
battle with Bob May in the PGA Championship, Woods had a 31 on
the back nine and won the three-hole playoff.
In another great duel with Grant Waite in
the Canadian Open, Woods finished him off with a 6-iron from 218
yards in a fairway bunker — over the water to a pin that
is best left alone — to set up a two-putt birdie for the
win.
Duval was asked last week how he and Woods
became buddies.
“He started paying me monthly,”
Duval joked.
The friendship is genuine off the course.
That doesn't mean there can't be a payoff on the course, for both
parties.
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