This week, he entered the U.S. Open ranked No. 882 in the world.
He's back from oblivion.
Today, Duval resumes play in the final round five shots out of the lead in a tie for third place after rounds of 67-70-70.
He made bogey on his second hole of the fourth round.
"I'd like to think I enjoyed it immensely, you know, eight, 10 years ago when I was on top of the world," said Duval, who has become a family man since his heyday. "But with a life that's a little more complete, I probably honestly enjoy it more now. I have no less desire at this point than I did back then. However, I probably feel like I don't simply do it for myself anymore.
"And, you know, that's a nice feeling."
Duval's giant fall hasn't looked good. He's made nine cuts in his last 33 tournaments.
The last time he finished in the top 20 was 50 events ago in the 2006 U.S. Open; he hasn't cracked the top 10 in his last 120 events. Injuries to his wrist, shoulder and back led to bad swing changes; vertigo and personal problems led to more bad rounds.
But he never gave up.
"I just knew that I had developed some very bad swing problems and through it had lost all confidence," he said. "I believed I could get it back. I knew the process was going to be a long one, and it would take a lot of work.
"But I'm just not a quitter."
Souvenirs:
With all the rain delays, the sprawling, warm and dry merchandise tent was a big hit with fans. So was the $5 black golf ball with the Bethpage Black logo. The tent sold out of its supply of 9,000 by midday Saturday, said Mary Lopuszynski, director of licensing and U.S. Open merchandising. Some online opportunists were selling the $5 balls for nearly $30 on eBay on Sunday.
Another hot seller: replicas of the famous "Warning" sign on the first tee of the public course warning hackers the "extremely difficult" Black is only recommended for "highly skilled" golfers. The signs go for $32 a pop.
And with the U.S. Open held in the New York area, scores of charming fans from all walks of life were in good supply. One fan who would only identify himself as Tony was cursing about the prices in the merchandise tent. "I'm not going to pay $89 for a collared shirt. What are they, out of their minds?" When asked for his full name, he became visibly uncomfortable. "TONY, that's my name. And that's all I'm going to give you." As they say in Brooklyn: Fuhgeddaboudit.
Till Tuesday?
The rain-soaked U.S. Open could stretch into Tuesday if there's an 18-hole playoff. With the fourth round pushed into today because of weather delays, the USGA has set a cutoff time of around 3:45 to 4 p.m. ET Monday for a possible playoff to begin. If play in the fourth round has not finished and players in the playoff cannot tee off by then, the extra session will move to Tuesday.
There's a 40% chance of showers in the afternoon today.
"The last thing we want is a playoff where they're coming back the next day to play one or two holes," said Mike Davis, senior director of Rules and Competitions. "That's not the right competitive situation."
