David Duval Bio
David Robert Duval (born November 9, 1971) is an American professional golfer who competed on the PGA Tour and now plays on the PGA Tour Champions. A former world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking, he won 13 PGA Tour events between 1997 and 2001, including one major championship, the 2001 Open Championship. After years of injury struggles, he reinvented himself as a television analyst before returning to competition on the senior circuit.
Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Duval came from a golf family and rose to prominence as one of the most decorated amateur players in U.S. history. His career arc, from amateur sensation to dominant Tour champion to resilient comeback figure, makes him one of the most discussed players of his generation.
Early Life and Background
David Robert Duval was born on November 9, 1971, in Jacksonville, Florida, to Bob Duval, a golf instructor and club professional, and Diane Poole Duval, who had performed with the FSU Flying High Circus during her college years. His older brother, Brent, was two years his senior, and his younger sister, Deirdre, was five years behind him. During David’s earliest years, his father served as club professional at Timuquana Country Club, where the young Duval first learned the game under his father’s direct guidance.
Tragedy struck the family when David was nine. Brent was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, and the family traveled to Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, where David underwent surgery to donate bone marrow to his brother. The transplant was unsuccessful, and Brent died of sepsis on May 17, 1981, at the age of 12. His father moved out of the family home for a year before reuniting with his wife and children in 1982 following counseling, and David continued to develop his golf game under Bob’s instruction.
Duval graduated from Episcopal High School of Jacksonville in 1989, the same year he won the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. That success foreshadowed one of the most decorated amateur careers in college golf history at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he would later be inducted into the Georgia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003.
Path to Golf
At Georgia Tech, Duval emerged as one of the finest amateur golfers in the country. He was a four-time first-team All-American, a two-time ACC Player of the Year, and the 1993 National Player of the Year, collecting both the Haskins Award and the Jack Nicklaus Award. While still a college player, he held a two-stroke lead after 54 holes at the 1992 BellSouth Classic on the PGA Tour before closing with a 79 to finish tied for 13th, an early sign that his game could compete at the highest professional level.
After turning professional in 1993, Duval spent two seasons on the Nike Tour, winning twice and refining his skills against seasoned competition. His consistent play earned him a PGA Tour card for the 1995 season. Despite posting seven second-place finishes on the PGA Tour from 1995 through 1997 and going a perfect 4–0–0 for the victorious United States team at the 1996 Presidents Cup, an actual Tour victory eluded him until October 1997.
David Duval Career
Early Career (1993–1996)
Duval’s professional career began on the Nike Tour, where his pair of victories and steady results demonstrated the technical foundation he had built under his father’s coaching. He earned his PGA Tour card for 1995 and immediately impressed veterans with his composure and ball-striking consistency. Through his first three full Tour seasons, he routinely contended without closing, collecting seven runner-up finishes that hinted at imminent breakthrough form.
His selection to the 1996 Presidents Cup team, where he posted a 4–0–0 record for the winning American side, further validated his arrival among the game’s elite players. Still, it would take until the autumn of 1997 for his first PGA Tour win to materialize.
PGA Tour Breakthrough (1997–1998)
Duval’s first PGA Tour victory came at the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill in October 1997. The breakthrough triggered a remarkable run, as he won his next two starts, including the season-ending Tour Championship, cementing his status as one of the Tour’s most dangerous players. The victory at the Tour Championship was the first of many signature moments that would define his prime years.
The 1998 season marked the peak of Duval’s career to that point. He won four tournaments, finished atop the PGA Tour money list, and earned both the Vardon Trophy and the Byron Nelson Award for lowest scoring average. His ball-striking precision and calm temperament made him a fixture on leaderboards, and he entered 1999 as the game’s most consistent performer.
Number One and the 1999 Players Championship
Early in 1999, Duval ascended to the number one position in the Official World Golf Ranking, the highest recognition in the sport. That same year, he shot a final-round 59 at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic at PGA West, sealing the victory with an eagle on the final hole and becoming only the third player in PGA Tour history to break 60 in competition, and the first to do so in a final round.
Later in the spring, he captured the 1999 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. That Sunday was doubly memorable because his father, Bob Duval, won a Champions Tour event on the same day, making them the first father and son to win professional tournaments on the same date. He also played on the victorious 1999 Ryder Cup team and ended the year second on the money list behind Tiger Woods.
The 2001 Open Championship and Decline
After winning the Buick Challenge in 2000 and continuing to post top finishes, Duval reached the summit of his sport at Royal Lytham and St Annes in July 2001, where he won The Open Championship. His acceptance speech was widely praised by British commentators as delightfully modest and heartfelt. He closed the year with a victory at the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament in Japan, his final worldwide win.
Following his Open triumph, Duval’s form collapsed. He dropped to 80th on the money list in 2002 and 211th in 2003 before taking an extended break from competitive golf. Back, wrist, and shoulder injuries, personal difficulties, and a form of vertigo have all been cited as contributing factors to his downturn, and he never won again on the PGA Tour.
Comeback Attempts (2004–2014)
Duval returned to competition at the 2004 U.S. Open but missed the cut. Subsequent seasons brought flashes of form, including a tie for 13th at the 2004 Deutsche Bank Championship and a tie for 16th at the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot, where his second-round 68 tied for the best round of the championship. The 2007 season was marred by personal setbacks, including the death of his mother on July 17, and he largely disappeared from the Tour.
In 2009, using his final career money exemption, Duval surged back into the spotlight with a tie for second at the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, climbing 740 spots in the Official World Golf Ranking, from 882 to 142, in a single week. He retained his Tour card at the end of 2010 but lost it after a difficult 2011 campaign, eventually transitioning into a broadcasting role while occasionally competing on sponsor’s exemptions through 2014.
Broadcasting and Champions Tour Era (2012–Present)
Duval became a TV golf commentator in 2012, helping to call The Open Championship and U.S. Open for ESPN through 2014 before joining the Golf Channel as a studio analyst in 2015. Since 2020, he has served as the lead analyst for ESPN’s coverage of the PGA Championship, becoming one of the most recognized voices in the sport.
After turning 50 in November 2021, Duval became eligible for the PGA Tour Champions, where he began competing in 2022. He was also named a non-playing vice-captain for the United States team at the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among David Robert Duval’s most celebrated moments are his 2001 Open Championship victory, his 59 in the final round of the 1999 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, and his 1999 Players Championship win that he shared with his father on the same day. His ascent to world number one in 1999 and his sweep of the 1998 money title, Vardon Trophy, and Byron Nelson Award further defined his peak years.
David Duval Career Wins
David Robert Duval amassed 13 PGA Tour victories, two Nike Tour wins, and one Japan Golf Tour title, with The Open Championship in 2001 standing as the crown jewel of his career. His win total was concentrated between 1997 and 2001, a five-year stretch during which he was among the most consistent performers in professional golf.
PGA Tour Highlights
Duval’s first PGA Tour win came at the 1997 Michelob Championship at Kingsmill, and he quickly followed it with the season-ending Tour Championship. His 1998 campaign produced four victories, including the leading position on the money list. In 1999, he added the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass and the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, and in 2000, he won the Buick Challenge. His final PGA Tour victory was the 2001 Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes.
Other Wins and Performances
Duval recorded two wins on the Nike Tour during his development years and captured the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament in Japan in November 2001, the same day as his 30th birthday. He also represented the United States on Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup teams, including the victorious 1999 Ryder Cup squad.
David Duval Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
David Robert Duval comes from a tight-knit family rooted in golf. His father, Bob Duval, is a respected golf instructor and club professional, while his mother, Diane Poole Duval, was once a member of the FSU Flying High Circus during her college years. The golf legacy began at Timuquana Country Club, where Bob served as club professional and first taught his son the game.
Personal Life
Duval married Suzanne Persichitte in 2003, seven months after they met at a Denver restaurant while he was in the city for The International. The couple has two children together, and Suzanne has three older children from a prior marriage. They make their home in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado, a suburb south of Denver.
2025 Season Performance
As a regular on the PGA Tour Champions since 2022, David Robert Duval continues to test himself against many of the players he once competed against on the PGA Tour. His appearances in 2025 reflect his ongoing commitment to competitive golf while balancing his responsibilities as ESPN’s lead analyst for the PGA Championship.
Duval’s Champions Tour schedule typically features a selective calendar, allowing him to focus on events that suit his eye and conditioning. While victories have been elusive in this stage of his career, his willingness to compete has earned respect from peers and fans alike.
Looking ahead, Duval remains a familiar presence at PGA Tour Champions events, where his experience and shot-making intelligence continue to translate into steady play. His dual role as competitor and broadcaster keeps him closely connected to the game he has shaped for more than three decades.