DUKE A STUDY IN RESILIENCY
Veteran golfer returns to site of first Tour win
Ken Duke never gave in. Not when he was in seventh grade and diagnosed with scoliosis and had a 16-inch rod inserted into his back to correct the curvature of his spine.
Not when he worked in a pro shop while honing his game for a few years and then spent 10 years traveling the world playing mini-tours.
And not when he went nearly 10 years and 186 starts on the PGA Tour without a victory.
Finally, after toiling in obscurity for two decades, Duke earned instant recognition when he sank a 2-foot putt on the second playoff hole to win last year’s Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn.
The win earned him his first trip to Hawaii to play in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and an invitation to play in his second Masters. And from the day after he won to Wednesday, the eve of his title defense in the Travelers, Duke has had one great ride.
“It’s gone by pretty quick. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, to be honest,” says Duke, who gave $25,000 to the Travelers Championship charities right after he won. “There are a lot of people congratulating me on winning the Travelers Championship, not just winning a tournament, but they always include Travelers in it, which is pretty neat.
“It’s been pretty awesome for me with all the exposure I’ve gotten for it. It’s just a great ride and just kind of feels like you belong out on the PGA Tour now, finally winning an event, and just having fun out here.”
This last year Duke, 45, even heard some congratulations while he was fishing. And he heard some unique utterances along the way.
“I get a lot of, ‘ That is the old guy,’ ” says Duke, who was ranked 144th in the world when he broke through into the winner’s circle. “‘That is the guy that won the Travelers.’ ‘ When is he going to play the Champions Tour?’ ‘ He’s on the Champions Tour.’ That kind of stuff is what I get more than anything.”
Not that Duke is bothered. He’s ecstatic this week as he defends his title.
The year since hasn’t been stellar, to say the least. While he has made 13 of 19 cuts this season, he has yet to post a top-10 finish. This week he faces a solid field that includes Masters champion and past Travelers winner Bubba Watson, past Travelers winner Hunter Mahan, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day and Sergio Garcia.
But Duke is back on familiar ground.
“I was just telling someone earlier, it kind of feels like my home course and I’ve only played here four, five, six times,” he says. “I think this golf course just sets up good for me. There are some short holes, some longer holes, and it just sets up with my eye.
“As you know out here on the PGA Tour, guys play courses that suit their game, and this one suits my game. It’s just a golf course that’s fun to play. There are a lot of risk rewards here, and a lot of guys really enjoy it. ...
“But all the great memories from last year, so many special memories, and the memories from the other years that I played here, it’s been really special to come back. That will mean something.”