Duval runs up 14 after hitting ‘some crappy shots’
Former Open champion David Duval admits he played some “crappy shots” after posting 91 – including a 14 on one hole – for the first time in his career.
The 47-year-old, winner at Royal Lytham in 2001, was two under after two holes before the wheels came off in spectacular fashion.
After a quadruple-bogey 8 at the fifth – a driveable par-4 – things got even worse with a at the par-5 seventh after losing his first two drives and then mistakenly playing the wrong ball after yet another tee shot into the rough.
That meant he had to play from the tee for a fourth time – his eighth shot of the hole – and completed the hole in a further six shots.
There was so much confusion Duval thought he had shot 90 and it took a further hour and a half after he had signed for his score for officials to amend his card without further penalty.
“I’ve just done something I’ve never done as a professional: I’ve posted 85 twice but I’ve never posted a 90. It was a long day, a rough day,” said the American, at the time unaware of the discrepancy.
Duval, who was struggling with tendonitis in his left elbow said afterwards: “I had a couple of bad tee shots and then we thought the marshal had my ball, asked if it was a Titleist 2, I looked at it and saw a two and played almost the entirety of the hole and it turns out with the wrong ball.
“There was a two-shot penalty for the wrong ball and then I had to go back to the tee and basically start the hole over. A very unique, awful situation.
“It is not reflective of anything I have been doing, it is one of those God-awful nightmare scenarios which happened today and I happened to be on the end of it.
“I hit some crappy shots, I put myself in that position. I couldn’t figure it out and so we took a while in there (in recording) to make sure the score was right.
“Am I happy about that? Is there some hint of embarrassment to it? I don’t know but I teed off and what I shot at the end of the day put it on the board. Obviously I’ll be last place but maybe if I am feeling good I can try not to be in last place after the end of the week.”