Bob Duval

Last updated

Bob Duval
Personal information
Full nameRobert Duval
Born (1946-10-09) October 9, 1946 (age 78)
Schenectady, New York
Sporting nationalityFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Residence Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
SpouseDiane Poole (divorced)
Shari
Children3, including David
Career
College Florida State University
Turned professional1968
Former tour(s) Golden Bear Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins2
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour Champions1
Other1

Robert Duval (born October 9, 1946) is an American professional golfer and is best known for being the father of David Duval, formerly the top-ranked player in the world. [1]

Contents

Early years

Duval was born in Schenectady, New York, the son of professional golfer Henry '"Hap" Duval, and grew up in upstate New York. His father worked full-time for the United States Post Office Department starting at 4 a.m., then taught or played golf until dark, weather permitting. In order to be around his father, Bob learned to play golf when he was six, but the game was also a fit with his competitive nature. He attended Florida State University on a golf scholarship, but Hubert Green was the star of the college team.

Club pro

Duval did not consider playing on the pro tour; he married his first wife, Diane Poole, and was hired at Timuquana Country Club in Jacksonville, Florida as an assistant pro in 1968. The following year, he switched to the municipal course in Fernandina Beach for four years. His son Brent was born in 1969, followed by David in 1971 and Deirdre in 1976. [2] Duval returned to Timuquana as head pro in 1973, and stayed there for 13 years while raising his children.

Tragedy

Duval's oldest son, Brent, developed aplastic anemia. The family sought treatment at Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, where younger brother David, who was 9, underwent surgery to donate bone marrow. Unfortunately, the transplant was not successful, and Brent died as a result of sepsis on May 17, 1981 at age 12. [3] Both Bob and Diane used alcohol to numb the emotional pain and their relationship deteriorated. Duval was unable to cope, and moved out of the family home for a year. Counseling enabled him to reunite with his wife and children, and in 1987, he accepted an offer to be golf pro at the Plantation, a new gated, golf community in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Duval's father, "Hap" died in 1991, [1] and Bob was unhappy in his marriage, so in 1993, he left his family permanently and the divorce was final in 1996. When Duval began seeing Sharon Blum, [3] [4] David stood by his mother, who was deeply depressed. He blamed his father and their relationship diminished. After some time had passed, they began talking again, and David realized that his father was happy. [4]

Senior golf

As his 50th birthday approached, David encouraged him to join the Senior PGA Tour (now known as the Champions Tour). Bob stated, "When he told me that he believed in my game, especially after what we had been through, it did a lot for my confidence." [4] Duval played in some "club pro" tournaments to sharpen his game. He and Shari were together constantly, and got married in 1996. Jack Nicklaus put together a series of 14 south Florida tournaments called the Golden Bear Tour. The entry fee was $15,000 plus living expenses, and Duval didn't have the money. Shari created a business proposal for individuals to sponsor Bob Duval's tour career. Six friends invested $5,000 each, which would be reimbursed from winnings. Duval won one of the tournaments and was certain he could make it on the tour. His total winnings were $29,000, allowing him to repay the sponsors. [5]

He has about two dozen top-10 finishes including a wire-to-wire win at the 1999 Emerald Coast Classic which he shared with his new wife, Shari. His win came on the same day that his son David won The Players Championship on the PGA Tour and ascended to the #1 ranking in the world.

Author

In June 2001, Duval began working with Massachusetts-based author Carl Vigeland on a book that became part of a Basic Books series, the Art of Mentoring. Told in the form of letters to members of Duval's family and his many friends, the book focuses on the connections between a person's life and his or her golf game. The letters also trace his life and career, with the final, moving letter addressed to the ghost of his father, Hap, also a golf professional. An Afterword follows under David Duval's byline. Letters to a Young Golfer, published to critical acclaim in 2002, is still in print. [6]

Professional wins (2)

Golden Bear Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1Aug 8, 1996 DME Rangefinder Championship−14 (69-63-70=202)3 strokes Flag of the United States.svg John Nieporte

Senior PGA Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1Mar 28, 1999 Emerald Coast Classic −10 (61-68-71=200)2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Fleisher

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1997 Pittsburgh Senior Classic Flag of South Africa.svg Hugh Baiocchi Lost to par on sixth extra hole

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byron Nelson</span> American professional golfer (1912–2006)

John Byron Nelson Jr. was an American professional golfer between 1935 and 1946, widely considered one of the greatest golfers of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Duval</span> American golfer

David Robert Duval is an American professional golfer and former World No. 1 Golfer who competed on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. Duval won 13 PGA Tour tournaments between 1997 and 2001; including one major title, The Open Championship in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davis Love III</span> American professional golfer

Davis Milton Love III is an American professional golfer who has won 21 events on the PGA Tour, including one major championship: the 1997 PGA Championship. He won the Players Championship in 1992 and 2003. He was in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for over 450 weeks, reaching a high ranking of 2nd. He captained the U.S. Ryder Cup teams in 2012 and 2016. Love was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Players Championship</span> Annual golf tournament

The Players Championship is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour. Originally known as the Tournament Players Championship, it began in 1974. The Players Championship at one point offered the highest purse of any tournament in golf. The field usually includes the top 50 players in the world rankings, but, unlike the major championships, it is owned by the PGA Tour and not an official event on other tours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Lema</span> American professional golfer

Anthony David Lema was an American professional golfer who rose to fame in the mid-1960s and won a major title, the 1964 Open Championship at the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland. He died two years later at age 32 in an aircraft accident near Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Mize</span> American professional golfer

Lawrence Hogan Mize is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour. He is well known for one career-defining shot – a chip from off the green at the 11th hole at Augusta to win the playoff for the 1987 Masters Tournament, which is his only major title to date. He is also the only winner of that tournament to come from Augusta.

The Cognizant Classic is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in south Florida. It was founded in 1972 as Jackie Gleason's Inverrary Classic, and prior to a schedule change in 2021 was frequently the first of the Florida events in late winter following the "West Coast Swing."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris DiMarco</span> American professional golfer

Christian Dean DiMarco is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions. DiMarco has won eight tournaments as a pro, including three PGA Tour events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Funk</span> American professional golfer

Frederick Funk is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He previously played on the PGA Tour, where he was an eight-time winner. Funk's signature win came at The Players Championship in 2005 when he prevailed in a four-way playoff.

Bruce Lee Fleisher was an American professional golfer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert Classic</span> Professional golf tournament in California, United States

The Desert Classic is a professional golf tournament in southern California on the PGA Tour. Played in mid-winter in the Coachella Valley, it is part of the tour's early season "West Coast Swing."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Stranahan</span> American golfer and powerlifter

Frank Richard Stranahan was an American sportsman. He had significant success in both amateur and professional golf. He was ranked number one in his weight class in powerlifting, from 1945 to 1954, and he became known on the golf course and off as the "Toledo strongman" long before the modern game of golf and fitness. After he retired from tournament golf in the early 1960s, he became a prolific long-distance runner, competing in 102 marathons.

Douglas Fred Tewell is an American professional golfer who has won several tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level, including two senior major championships.

Forrest Oliver Fezler was an American professional golfer. His career year was in 1974, when he won the Southern Open and finished in second place to Hale Irwin at the U.S. Open.

Robert C. Weed Jr., known as Bobby Weed, president of Bobby Weed Golf Design ("BWGD"), is an American golf course architect, designer and builder. His firm specializes in design, renovations and repurposing. A protégé of Pete Dye, he resides in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Weed is a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA), the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) and the Florida Turfgrass Association.

First Tee is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the stated goal of improving children's life skills through golf lessons. Based in Ponta Vedra Beach, Florida, the organization claims to teach more than 3.6 million youth annually through programs across the country and internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timuquana Country Club</span>

Timuquana Country Club is a private golf and country club in Jacksonville, Florida. Located in Jacksonville's Ortega neighborhood, it was founded in 1923. Its golf course was originally designed by legend Donald Ross, and members have included PGA Tour professionals Steve Melnyk, David Duval and current member Jim Furyk. It has hosted various golf tournaments since its opening, including the 2002 United States Senior Men's Amateur Golf Championship, the U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball in 2019, and is the host site for the PGA Tour Champions Constellation Furyk & Friends starting in 2021.

Mark Tyler McCumber is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. He spent his first professional season on PGA Tour Latinoamérica. He is the son of professional golfer Mark McCumber, who was the 1988 Players Champion and a 10-time winner on the PGA Tour.

The 1999 Players Championship was a golf tournament in Florida on the PGA Tour, held March 25–28 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, southeast of Jacksonville. It was the 26th Players Championship.

The 1998 Players Championship was a golf tournament in Florida on the PGA Tour, held March 26–29 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, southeast of Jacksonville. It was the 25th Players Championship.

References

  1. 1 2 Smits, Garry (October 26, 1997). "Follow Through". Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on December 3, 1998.
  2. ↑ Brown, Chip (June 16, 2010). "What the Hell Happened to David Duval? And Why is He So Happy?". Men's Journal.
  3. 1 2 "Drive for Excellence". Florida Times-Union. March 21, 1999. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000.
  4. 1 2 3 Diaz, Jaime (February 9, 1998). "Keeping A Low Profile". Sports Illustrated.
  5. ↑ Duval, Bob: "Letters to a Young Golfer" pages 87-78
  6. ↑ Smits, Garry (March 24, 2002). "With love, from Bob Duval". Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.