Price Has Been in the House of David

Before David Duval, there was Nick Price.

Before Duval won nine times in 28 PGA Tour events, capped by last month’s victory in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, Price won nine times in 28 tournaments from July 1993 through the end of 1994.

Once, Price was right.

Now, Duval is dominant.

“The difference is that he hasn’t won any majors in his [run],” Price said Thursday after shooting a four-under-par 67 in the first round of the Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club, good for a share of second place behind Duval and Bob Estes. “But I think that’s inevitable. . . .

“He is going to win a major--it’s just a matter of time--because he’s going to figure out that he’s beaten the same guys in regular tour events that he’s going to have to beat to win a major championship.”

Price’s run of dominance included two major titles--the British Open and PGA Championship, both in 1994--and capped a long climb to the top for the Zimbabwean, who was in his late 30s when his career peaked.

“For me, it was great because I’d worked so hard all my career,” said Price, who at 42 is 15 years older than Duval. “You can’t really compare our two careers because he’s so much younger than me. I went through all sorts of trials and tribulations before I hit that patch.”

Also, said Price, he commanded more attention during his run.

By contrast, in the age of Tiger Woods, Duval has kind of sneaked up on the world, gaining widespread attention only recently, particularly after his PGA Tour-record 59 in the final round of the Hope tournament.

“He’s lucky that he’s got Tiger taking all the heat from the media,” Price said of the low-key Duval. “He’s getting his fair share, but when I was playing well, there wasn’t anybody else around playing that well. If Tiger had been around, I probably would have won more because he would have taken all the heat off of me.

“But David’s found his niche. He’s a really smart young man because he’s played it very nice and casual. He’s enjoying his game.”

Price was home in Florida last month, enjoying his family, when he got word of Duval’s record round on the Palmer Course at PGA West.

“I was so happy for him,” Price said, “because it’s about time people woke up and started paying attention to him because no one has won as prolifically as he has in the last 16 months.

“I don’t care what tournaments you’re winning, if you’re winning that many and that often . . . you’re the No. 1 player in the world.”

Once, that was Price.

But he has won only two PGA Tour events since 1994.

He’s still a threat--he finished fourth last year at the U.S. Open--but his priorities have changed. Before this week, he had played only once this year, finishing eighth two weeks ago in a tournament in South Africa.

“Life has changed,” he said. “I’ve got three kids now and my time is a juggling act, trying to figure out when I’m going to take time off to spend with the kids.

“It’s a little hard now to play sort of a David Duval- or Tiger Woods-type schedule. But the less I play, the better I play sometimes.”

He showed no rust Thursday on a cool, misty morning at Riviera, putting together a bogey-free round that included four birdies.

“A good day,” he said. “I drove the ball well and hit my irons where I was aiming. I didn’t play very well in South Africa, but I’ve since worked on the weaknesses in my game and it seems to have paid dividends.”