AVONDALE, La. – For years, David Duval was criticized for taking up a spot in the field.
Now that he believes he has a chance to win, the former world No. 1 has nowhere to play.
Relying solely on sponsor exemptions, he is making his seventh start of the season this week at the Zurich Classic. His bogey-free 68 Thursday was just his seventh sub-70 score in his last 75 rounds.
“I feel like I’m playing well enough to win golf tournaments,” Duval said. “The challenge is I’ve played few very tournaments. I feel confident in saying that if I can hit a two-, three-, four-week stretch where I know I’m playing next week and the week after, I could settle myself down that much more.”
Zurich Classic: Articles, videos and photos
Late last year, Duval announced on Twitter that this was his final year asking for sponsor exemptions. If he can’t earn back his card, “I will do something else,” he tweeted.
Because the starts have been hard to come by this season, Duval’s only hope for more tournaments is a top-10 finish this week at TPC Louisiana. He isn’t scheduled to play again until the St. Jude Classic in early June.
“All I have is tomorrow, because I don’t have next week,” he said. That’s what I’m going to pay attention to.”