A Glorious Day for Duvals

Sunday’s going to be a difficult one for the Duval family to top.

After learning that his father, Bob, had won his Senior Tour event, David Duval landed his tee shot six feet from the par-three 17th hole to set up a birdie and secure victory at The Players Championship at Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

The victory not only made the younger Duval the top-ranked golfer in the word, it made the Duvals the first father-son combination to win tour-sanctioned events on the same day.

The two stayed in contact throughout the weekend, offering advice and words of encouragement. It was the younger Duval doing most of the advising.

“I said, ‘Tomorrow while you are playing, you are going to think about winning, OK?’ ” David Duval said. “So don’t try to not think about what it would feel like and everything that would come with it. You are going to think about that tomorrow, so don’t waste energy trying to block it out. When you think about it, embrace it.”

Bob Duval did, leading wire to wire and defeating Senior PGA Tour money leader Bruce Fleisher by two strokes in the Emerald Coast Classic at Milton, Fla.

It was his first career victory.

“I got the big ol’ monkey off my back,” said Duval, who finished with a final-round 71 for a 10-under-par 200 total. “To win one tournament out here is unbelievable . . . against these players.”

David also won by two strokes over Scott Gump. Duval held a one-stroke lead before the birdie on 17. Although he shot a one-over 73 on the final round, he finished with a three-under 285.

“All I tried to do was grab the club and hit it,” said Duval of the shot. “It was a huge shot, obviously. But it was very important to make the putt.”

Duval won $900,000, giving him more than $2.1 million this season, about $500,000 shy of what he won all of last year.

It also completed a hat trick of the tour’s most elite events--the winners-only Mercedes Championship, the Tour Championship for the top 30 money-winners, and The Players Championship, traditionally the tour’s best field.

This year’s field was the third-strongest in golf this decade.

“To win a big one like this, he deserves to be No. 1 in the world,” said Tiger Woods, who needed to finish sixth or better to retain his No. 1 ranking but finished tied for 10th with a three-over 291. He had been No. 1 for 41 weeks in a row.

“It’s nice to be ranked No. 1, but it’s not a concern of mine,” David said.

But his father was excited.

“I think he’s No. 1 now, don’t you,” the proud father said when he got word his son had won.

The victory also fulfilled a childhood dream for David, who has won 10 of his last 33 tournaments.

Duval, a Jacksonville, Fla. native, grew up near the TPC at Sawgrass, and even played as a marker when he was 18. Sunday, cheers from the gallery greeted him at every turn.

And, if history holds, the future could get even brighter for David. Duval becomes only the third player to ascend to No. 1 without having won a major. Ian Woosnam and Fred Couples were No. 1 right before each won the Masters.

Final Results

The top scores after Sunday’s final round of play (Complete scores, Page 12):

*

PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP--Par 72

David Duval: 69-69-74-73--285 -3

Scott Gump: 72-74-70-71--287 -1

Nick Price: 74-67-74-73--288-even

Fred Couples: 77-71-73-68--289 +1

Hal Sutton: 69-74-73-73--289 +1

Lee Westwood: 73-69-75-73--290 +2

Mark O’Meara: 72-73-71-74--290 +2

Steve Stricker: 73-73-70-74--290 +2

Scott Hoch: 72-70-73-75--290 +2

*

EMERALD COAST CLASSIC--Par 70

Bob Duval: 61-68-71--200 -10

Bruce Fleisher: 68-67-67--202 -8

Buzz Thomas: 65-67-72--204 -6

Walter Hall: 70-68-69--207 -3