Duval Starts Over After Long Layoff Because of Injury

AUGUSTA, Ga. —  David Duval set the ground rule right away.

“My wrist is doing great, so we don’t have to talk about that,” he said.

All right, then let’s talk about other things, such as inactivity (one tournament in two months); ineffectiveness (nothing better than a tie for 51st since January); and insufficient data (five tournaments in three months).

This isn’t the kind of preparation for the Masters that will be found in any manuals, but it’s all that Duval has right now.

The fact is, the player who won 11 times in 24 months, who once could have started a legitimate debate with Tiger Woods about who was No. 1, and who two years ago shot a 59 on the last day to win the Bob Hope tournament is simply not the same player who will tee it up Thursday for the first round of the Masters.

At 29 and basically starting his year over in the season’s first major, Duval has a lot of ground to make up and a lot of questions to answer. At the very least, he has an opportunity to reverse his slide in the world rankings, where he has plummeted from No. 2 to No. 8.

Last week, Duval got a cortisone shot in his right wrist, which he’d injured by over-practicing the week before Bay Hill. He didn’t play at Bay Hill or the next week in the Players Championship.

The way it has been going for Duval, even when he’s playing, he’s not really playing.

He got off to a good start in the Mercedes Championship, finishing seventh and collecting $118,000, but has made only $17,458 since. He missed the cut at Phoenix and Pebble Beach, then tied for 51st at the Bob Hope and tied for 63rd at Doral.

Duval could make everything better, or at least get started in that direction, this week. But that’s not even remotely possible if Duval isn’t injury-free, which he insists he is.

“Everything is good with me,” he said. “I’m excited to be back playing here. I don’t think [my wrist] is going to be an issue, but if it is, I’ll let you know as soon as it is. Just looking forward to playing.”

Duval said he isn’t coming back too soon.

“I’m not playing against doctor’s advice and I’m not playing with kind of reluctant consent on his part, either,” he said. “They don’t feel like this is any problem. Obviously, I wanted to play, but if I have to pull out of this tournament, don’t get me wrong, I will, if that is an option. I don’t think it will be, but it was a real possibility.”

Here’s another real possibility: A sound Duval is a threat at Augusta National.

In the last three Masters, he has tied for second when Mark O’Meara won, tied for sixth when Jose Maria Olazabal won and tied for third when Vijay Singh won.

Singh expects Duval to step up to the challenge.

“We look forward to seeing him play,” Singh said. “He’s out there and it’s always nice to have tough guys playing for the major prize.”

There have been no major prizes tucked into Duval’s cabinet since he turned pro in 1993, which ranks as a major surprise. He has won 12 times, but only once in the last 18 months.

Sure, there have been injury problems. He sat out 10 weeks last summer after the British Open when he suffered a back injury. Add his wrist injury and it’s not hard to see why Duval’s results have been in something of a decline, though he did bank $2.46 million in prize money last year.

Duval says he should not be counted out this week.

“You know, I think I’m in a good position,” he said. “Expectations are not high for me--outside expectations.

“But at the same time, I think I’m striking the golf ball so much better than I was last year. I didn’t do well last year because I was swinging the golf club well and hitting quality golf shots, I did well because I managed my game well and just picked my shots.

“This year, if I can combine that with how I’m hitting the ball, I think that’s why I feel so good about my chances.”