Player Tweets They'll Regret Files: David Duval Edition

Relatively new to the medium, former world No. 1 and (apparently) former Howard Roark worshipper David Duval took to Twitter to reveal he would not be getting a sponsor's invite to the Humana Challenge that he won last century.

So it's official. I will not get a spot at the Humana.

— David Duval (@david59duval) January 8, 2013

It was the follow up Tweet he might regret when tournament directors weigh whether to let him in their tournament.

I guess having the defining moment in the history if the event doesn't matter.

— David Duval (@david59duval) January 8, 2013

Update on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 05:42 PM by Geoff

**Duval deleted the offending Tweet and posted several more concilliatory dispatches later on according to a Golfweek report:

Duval recanted on Tuesday, writing, “Please don't hate on the tournament. It holds a special place in my heart. It is an historical event for many reasons.

“All tournaments have the right to give their spots to whom they see fit. Again please don't hate on the Humana.

“I'm in the same boat as others asking for spots. I was just trying to let all know I will not be starting my season their (sic).

“Like I said before its up to me to get my status back and not have to ask for spots.”

Comments

[KLG]

Oops. Seems that the only book without pictures that a professional golfer will admit to reading is that one, or the other...Lately, more like a cross between Ellsworth Toohey and Peter Keating. As Dominique Francon might put it: Play better, David.
About the "other" book, but the point is still valid:
“There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged . One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.”
–John Rogers

[Nubi]

I sense bitterness.

[JSP]

I would say he does have a point about his 59 but a more defining event there was Bush 41, Clinton, and Ford playing golf together back in the day. I believe 41 drilled a few folks with tee shots too!

[Richard F]

It's early but candidate for comment of the year by KLG

[Tighthead]

Is DD still fighting that $6 million foreclosure? That made him look less than clever.

[Kevin part deux]

Looks like he's getting support from his fellow pros. And Art Spander.

[Hawkeye]

Of course he has a point, but someone else should have said it for him.
And KLG: Beauty!!!

[johnnycz]

KLG hits for extra bases!! Great Post.

When was the last time a pro griped about NOT getting into a 6 hour hit-and-giggle (Pro-Am)?

Now if DD is a true Rand disciple, then I'm sure he's got enough gold bars squirreled away in the woods to keep on living the life he's grown so accustomed to so this Vegan/Humannnaa/Clinton get-together things shouldn't matter.

Maybe DD will be wearing an actual golf company hat this year...he was sporting the Big B (Burton Snowboards) last year...which is kinda odd considering the amount of "tee up money" out there.

[FWIW]

He's hardly "relatively new" to Twitter. He's tweeted more than a thousand times.

[Bobby D]

Somewhere, Holden Caulfield is smiling.

[Amen Coroner]

I kinda like thinking about Tip O'Neil and falling as the defining moment.

[Elf]

DD has a point & next time one goes to suggest a player should be loyal to a sponsor/tournament, remember they'll drop you like it's hot too

[Charlie]

Duval is generally really good on twitter. maybe some will take this comment and turn it as Duval being a whiner, but if there is anyone in golf that has fallen from the top, Duval deserves a ton of respect. he's gone to q-school and continues to play at a high level. Daly on the other hand refuses to work to get back to where he was and relies on sponsors. Duval has set his pride aside. Can't blame him being frustrated, but maybe he should've kept the comment to himself, but Duval is still a class act.

[Press Agent]

I never cared for Duval when he was number 1 in the world or there abouts, but after seeing what he has gone through for a number of years and his approach to things these days, I'm more of a fan. I don't really think that tweet is all that bad, in fact it's quite tame. He could have said something about how over the years they gave out countless invites to a drunken drug addict and degenerate gambler who wears ridiculous clothes and hits shots off the top of coke cans. It seems you stand a better chance if you are a clown rather than a past champion trying to claw your way back.

[Scrambler]

Keep following the subsequent tweets.

He just wrote "Please don't hate on the tournament. It holds a special place in my heart. It is an historical event for many reasons."

He's disappointed, not bitter and entitled. Seems fairly human to me.

By the way, he also wrote "it's up to me to perform this year" several hours before KLG's witty insight to "Play better, David."

But I suppose DD saying it himself wasn't as funny as a snarky comment about a supposed whiny, entitled PGA pro.

[tlavin]

DD: Please just go away.

[Scrambler]

@tlavin -

What, should he stop paying golf? Stop seeking sponsor exemptions? What does "go away" mean?

Read the entire thread on Twitter instead of defaulting to some preconception that he's just whining.

People asked him about his schedule and he informed them about the decision. The "follow-up" tweet was actually in response to multiple followers (including many PGA pros) saying the same thing about the 59.

And, again, read the other tweets where he puts it on himself and tells people not to hate the tournament.

[elf]

BTW forget the 59, Duval has always been loyal to the event, playing it nearly every year even when it went out of style for the top guys.

[DTF]

Press Agent, did you read that article about DD and how he treated his teammates in college? Daly has his problems too, no doubt, but DD isn't an angel by any stretch...and the major score is 2-1 after all ;)

[Scrambler]

@DTF -

Did you read the rest of the article to understand that it was about his personal evolution away from that behavior? Or that the article was from almost 14 years ago? Or is it a foreign concept to you that someone may mature from their college years?

No, Duval isn't an angel, but I'd bet that no one posting here is. I just think the selective quoting of the tweets is a poor representation of the full situation. The term "Twitter Regret" shouldn't come close to Duval's situation, if there's even a remote chance the comments will be portrayed in the same zipcode as the Beljan or Perez rants.

[digsouth]

DD is a class act, giving honest answers in interviews, and as was said, showing loyalty to this event when other pros were hoping they PGA would pull the plug.

He would be a draw,, the guy who can't break 80 one minute, and who almost won the US Open going in to the back 9 on Sunday just a couple of years ago or so.

The Humana should drop the ''a'' and do the human thing and invite him to play- he deserves a spot---especially if the invites end up being some buddy deal, or a Champion Tour wish and hope'r who will be packing his bags when the cut is made..

[DTF]

Scrambler, in fact I like DD, and JD too. My point is that he and JD aren't so far apart as Press Agent would have you believe....both dealt/dealing with some serious demons. Additionally, I do believe that DD deserves a spot in The Hope because of the aforementioned loyalty as pointed out by elf, and then there's the 59 (do they still play the course it was shot on?) but that has nothing to do with Daly and demeaning him accomplishes nothing. Aside from all of that there's no abount about who sells more tickets and if there's one common theme these days on the PGA Tour "it's all about the benjamins".

Don't see Daly on the "committed pros" list....yet ;o)

[Scrambler]

DTF - I see where you were coming from in comparing JD to DD (rather than simply jumping on DD).

Like you, I hope for the best for JD, but I still think there is quite a bit of difference between the two. JD has more recent examples of making bad decisions that can embarrass a Sponsor. On the other hand, Duval probably won't do anything to embarrass them, other than perhaps playing poorly. But I agree with you that the money factor would probably cause a Sponsor to take a chance on Daly.


Besides the potential money draw, the other factor could be that sponsors are using their exemptions to draw younger players. I spoke with the organizer of a large national amateur event last summer, and he told me that they are fighting an uphill battle in drawing fields because many of the PGA stops are using their sponsors exemptions to get attract young talent (either elite amateurs or Web.com players). They're hoping that they might get lucky in giving a future superstar an early exemption (e.g. Webb Simpson), and that may result in future loyalty to a less popular event. Perhaps that is how Duval lost his spot.

[chicago pt]

tournament owes him nothing...also, .its not he's playing well recently

[DTF]

Scrambler, my experience is that exemptions are handed out primarily for 3 reasons, (i) the player has a close personal or professional relationship with the tourney sponsor or the tournament director -- (ii) the player is hot competitively and deemed to be significantly impactful from a gate perspective -- (iii) local hero.

The Hope has gone through a bunch of iterations in the last decade and while I don't know it for a fact, I kind of doubt that DD is really close of anyone in that tournament office anymore. Out of curiosity I looked at his playing record, 26 missed cuts in 38 events over the last 2 years with one top-10 early in 2011. In 2012 he was cut 14 times in 17 events and made $33,000 total on Tour, about the least amount of money you could make while completing 3 events...so it's safe to say he ain't "hot"! It would also be hard to argue that he moves the needle at the gate. Crazy how time flys but it has been 14 years since DD won that event and unfortunately for him it's not like Bay Hill where Past Champions are exempt for life -- the jig is up.

[ol Harv]

Charlie, I believe you are incorrect about Duval and Q-School. He was entered and withdrew. That says a lot to me. Why do guys like Duval and Chris Dimarco, both equally struggling for the past five years, feel like they are above that. Camilo Villegas went back this year after a terrible year and a few years removed from winning two big events--he wasn't above it. I like Duval but these guys that rely on sponsors exemptions have to expect, regardless of their past performances, that there's a good chance they aren't getting in. I think Duval's attitude toward this may show maybe why he isn't performing up to his standards. Does anyone know who got the sponsor spots?

[DTF]

Harv, DD played Tour School in 2011 but I see no evidence that he did so in 2012. I looked at the Humana website and could find no disclosure on exemptions...last year they announced some about January 15th including the one they gave Duval. I guess The Hope will probably start trickling that info out soon...

[digsouth]

Ol Harv ....Happy New Year and,

I would never put DD and Dimarcko on the same page. DD has struggled, Duh mark oh comes off as cocky, and his pitching spectator at the 16th at the Waste Management party hole still pisses me off.

Here is a word on Duval and Q school.... and please rad the attached, which is pertinent to the conversation.

''There have been some circumstances, including a foot injury just this last fall that prevented him from playing in the tour’s qualifying finals''

from;

http://golf.blogs.mydesert.com/2013/01/08/the-issue-of-david-duval-and-a-sponsors-exemption/

FWIW

addendum: Deemarko was on Mourning Drool I think yestersday, and I was very impressed with him.....I may reevaluate my dislike for him....we'll see-- as yall know I am a great belever in forgiveness.

God knows, I need it.

[OWGR Fan]

@johnnycz.... Duval is back to being a Nike equipment guy this year.

Don't forget that due to new exemption rules for 2013 most PGA Tour events lost 2 of their 4 unrestricted sponsor exemptions to give to other players this year to create more playing chances for players in this shorter season. Duval also has said he will play the web.com tour this season as well. Best of luck to him. Always been a fan of his.

[elf]

@ol Harv Duval WD from q school this year due to injury - but don't let facts get in the way of blasting someone

[ol Harv]

Elf, Why doesn't the Tour just do away with the sponsor exemption rule and give all the guys that once did something great full exemptions into any tournament they want to play in? Who should we include on that list? Duval, Daly, Lehman, Pavin, Elkington, Funk, Micheel, Austin,Calc,Hamilton, Janzen,Leonard, Appleby, Mattiace, Olazabal,Villegas? Duval finished #233 on the money list last year with 32k in winnings. Why should a sponsor or tournament director that has a choice of probably 30 great players that can add to the tournament, have to give one of those spots to Duval? You cannot be serious.