Duval Gets Lucky, Wins Again

DULUTH, Ga. — David Duval had it all Sunday: great shot-making, plenty of help from his fellow golfers and a little luck at the final hole.

Duval surged into the Masters by winning the BellSouth Classic on Sunday, becoming the first golfer since Johnny Miller in 1974 to capture four victories before the first major of the year.

Duval birdied three of the final six holes and was the only golfer among the top six with a bogey-free round. His five-under 67 at the TPC Sugarloaf course gave him a two-stroke victory over former Georgia Tech teammate Stewart Cink.

Afterward, Duval made the two-hour drive to Augusta National, where he will be favored to gain his first major title. He has won half of the eight tournaments he entered this year--including two in a row, after his triumph at The Players Championship--and has 11 victories in his last 34 events to supplant Tiger Woods as the world’s best player.

“I never envisioned winning four golf tournaments before the Masters,” said Duval, who was second at Augusta National a year ago. “It is really nice and flattering that I might be considered the favorite. There again, it has absolutely no bearing on how I play or how I perform.”

Duval earned $450,000 for winning the BellSouth to push his season earnings to $2,598,300--already breaking the PGA Tour record he set in 1998. With the year not even four months old, he can take the money record to astronomical heights.

Duval was as solid as the Georgia pines that border the course, putting together four straight sub-70 rounds for an 18-under 270. Not that he needed any extra help, but Cink, John Huston and rookie Rory Sabbatini provided it.

Over the final three holes, the other top contenders combined for two double bogeys and four bogeys.

Duval could have suffered a similar fate at the par-five 18th, when his second shot landed short of the green and began rolling back toward the water. Amazingly, it stopped short on the steep slope, bringing back memories of similar good fortune that propelled Fred Couples to his 1992 Masters victory.

“I hit a pretty good shot, hit it about where I was aiming at,” Duval said. “I was surprised it didn’t bounce up on the green. Then I was surprised it didn’t come back into the water. I got lucky, very lucky.”

There was briefly a four-way tie at 18-under when Duval and Sabbatini birdied No. 16, pulling even with Huston and Cink, who were playing right behind in the last group.

But Cink put his second shot into a bunker guarding the front of the green, punched his next shot 20 feet past the cup and needed two putts for a bogey. Huston also took a bogey when his five-footer for par lipped out of the hole.

Up ahead at 17, Duval put his tee shot in the middle of the fairway, while Sabbatini’s sailed into a bunker. The South African, who got into the tournament as an alternate, hit his next shot into the trees on the right side, scattering the gallery, before finally pitching down to the green. He three-putted from 25 feet for a double bogey, effectively ending his chances.

Cink also bogeyed 17 when his second shot flew over the green, and Huston fell completely out of contention with an extended stay in the sand. His first two shots each found bunkers, and he needed two attempts to escape the second one, finally settling for a double bogey.

At the par-five 18th, Sabbatini knew he needed an eagle to have any chance, so he went for the green on his second shot. He wound up in the water, settled for a bogey and finished tied for third with Houston at 273.

In command, Duval needed to simply lay up with his second shot at 18 and settle for a par. Instead, from 230 yards away, he went for the green with a two-iron from a downslope lie, not realizing what was going on behind him.

“I thought I was one shot ahead,” Duval said. “I figured if I could [put] it up there and make birdie, I could end the tournament.”

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Final Scores

$2.5-MILLION BELLSOUTH CLASSIC--Par 72

David Duval: 66-69-68-67--270 (-18)

Stewart Cink: 71-65-66-70--272 (-16)

Rory Sabbatini: 65-65-73-70--273 (-15)

John Huston: 71-65-67-70--273 (-15)

Franklin Langham: 69-67-68-70--274 (-14)

Mike Weir: 69-65-68-72--274 (-14)

UP NEXT

THE MASTERS

* When: Thursday through Sunday.

* TV: Live coverage on USA Network on Thursday, Friday; Channel 2 Saturday, Sunday.

* Last year’s winner: Mark O’Meara

Duval’s Dominance

* Has won four of eight tournaments

* Has won 11 of last 34 tournaments

* Won $2,598,300 in prize money, a season record.