David Duval To Become A Studio Analyst At The Golf Channel

Jul 15, 2014; Wirral, GBR; David Duval tees off on the 8th hole during a practice round at the 143rd Open Championship at The Royal Liverpool Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Steve Flynn-USA TODAY Sports

Yahoo Sports reported today that former World’s Number One golfer, David Duval will be stalking an analyst booth for the Golf Channel in 2015. The 13 time PGA Tour winner has seen his game tank over the past 15 years, due to injuries, and a lack of confidence. He has decided to join the broadcast team at the home of golf.

The 43 year-old, 2001 British Open Champ will make his début at the 2015 Humana Challenge,a place where he shot 59 back in 1999, and his rise to number one in the world. Duval has indicated that this is not to be seen as a retirement from the PGA Tour.

"”It’s a way to be involved in the game I love so much and to learn another facet of it,” Duval said from his home in Denver. ”I think I can be a voice of the players, too, because it’s a current voice. Let’s see what happens and where it goes.”"

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Duval’s schedule at the Golf Channel should afford him time to play in tournaments where he is qualified as a past champion, and tournaments where he attains a sponsor exemption. He intends to play at the AT&T National Pro Am in Pebble Beach next month.

David Duvall did some television work at the US Open back in 2012 at the Olympic Club, and dabbled with television at the BMW Championship last year in Denver.

Golf Channel plans to use him as a studio analyst for its pregame and post game shows with Brandel Chamblee for the majors, World Golf Championships, FedEx Cup playoffs, The Players Championship, Florida swing and Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup.

"”As a former world No. 1 and a major champion, he brings so much added perspective to this team,” Golf Channel executive producer Molly Solomon said. ”He makes the team stronger. We’ve been talking to him for a year about this. We found we could create a schedule where he could continue to play.”"

David Duval won 13 PGA Tour events, including one major championship where he beat Niclas Fasth by three strokes in the 2001 Open Championship. His last win came in November of that year at the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament.

The Phoenix Dunlop Championship was a Japan Tour event, and did not count as a PGA Tour win.

Duval had some nice top ten’s in the Masters, and US Open, with one T10 in the PGA Championship. He got close on occasion, but couldn’t get it done. He did win a Players Championship in 1999. Duval was the up, and coming star in the late 90’s until Tiger Woods came on the scene.

I had always felt that Duval spent too much time getting his body chiseled, and as we have seen with Tiger, the added muscles do not always translate to hitting the golf ball further, and straighter.

A split with his girl friend in 2002, a loss of confidence, multiple swing instructors, and the emergence of Tiger Woods were the catalysts to the end of a promising golf career, that never again materialized.

By joining the Golf Channel crew as an analyst will keep a fading star in, and around the game he once dominated. Even for as brief as it was.

"”It gives you a new perspective,” he said. ”We’re constantly told this as players, but you realize it even that much more how much TV people are partners. The hours the folks put in is staggering. There are long days and lots of homework and preparation that you don’t think about when you’re playing. It’s exciting and fun to do this now.”"

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Source: Yahoo Sports

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