AUGUSTA — Shortly before teeing it up at this week’s Masters, David Duval scoffed when he was asked about the rivalry between he and Tiger Woods.
“I don’t deserve to be talked about in the same breath as him right now,” Duval said at the time.
And now, as the 64th Masters field enters weekend play with threats of cold and rainy weather looming, Duval and his scorching 7-under-par 65 yesterday — good enough to lead by one shot after two rounds — has left Woods as a mere afterthought.
Woods, who entered the week as an overwhelming favorite, has looked ordinary through two rounds at Augusta National and, after shooting 72 yesterday, made the cut by a mere shot and stands at 3-over for the championship, nine shots back of Duval.
Duval, meanwhile, has put himself in the driver’s seat with all the controls at his fingertips in a bid to ride to his first major title — something he craves though he’ll never admit to it publicly.
Duval, after quietly surviving the swirling winds and shooting 72 on Thursday, made his way
through the front nine yesterday with little fanfare — a birdie on the first hole followed by eight pars.
Suddenly, he caught fire. On the back nine he shot a 6-under 30 to position himself to win his most important title to date.
In order to win his first major and the coveted Green Jacket, though, Duval, whose 65 was a tournament low this week and his personal low at Augusta, has to contend with a lot of talent atop the leader board.
Two-time U.S. Open winner Ernie Els, 1998 PGA champion winner Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson, also hungry for his first major title, are one shot back at 5-under.
Former British Open champion Tom Lehman, always a factor here, is at 3-under, along with former U.S. Open winner Steve Jones.
Two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer is at 2-under along with former PGA champ Jeff Sluman, Loren Roberts and South African Retief Goosen.
It’s Duval, though, who has had this title in his sights with such passion that he conceded he’s lost focus this year in regular PGA Tour events.
“It’s great that I played so well so far, but I’m not real concerned with my position,” Duval said. “I’ve had one goal for a while, and that’s to be leading when we’re done on Sunday afternoon. It helps having played so well so far, but that’s not my goal.”
Duval, a hard-to-get-to-know 28-year-old, has already been close at majors, including this one twice. He not only was the 36-hole leader at the U.S. Open in Pinehurst last June, but he finished tied for second here in 1998 and tied for sixth last year.
“I have a lot of pressure on me from myself,” Duval said. “I have some high expectations for this week.”
Duval held a three-shot lead with three holes to play in 1998 only to falter with a bogey on 16 and then watch Mark O’Meara birdie three of his last four, including Nos. 17 and 18, to win.
“I don’t believe I gave the golf tournament away a couple years ago,” Duval said. “I had a very good opportunity there, but unfortunately for me and for Fred [Couples], Mark O’Meara birdied the last two holes to win. It was great for him.”
And, though Duval won’t say it publicly, it was haunting.
“I wanted to be ready to play when I arrived here,” Duval said. “I probably wasn’t as focused on other events as I should have been. Maybe that’s my own fault, my own failing there, but I wanted to make sure I was peaking for this week.”
Duval must stave off a healthy leader board — one that includes eight major titles among the top eight.
“The leader board is strong,” said Mickelson, who like Duval is seeking his first major victory. “There’s a lot of good names up there and I think it’s going to be very difficult for players to separate themselves from the leaderboard, because there are such strong players up there.”
Speaking of strong, what about Woods? Is he still in it at 3-over?
“I think so,” Woods said. “I just need to play a good, solid weekend and we’ll see what happens.”
Els predicted, “It’s just a matter of time before Tiger gets up there. I think [today is] going to be a big day. It’s going to be a good shootout if we go out there and make a lot of birdies.”
As for the non-major winners — Duval and Mickelson — atop the board, Els said, “We’ve been saying that for a while now, haven’t we? Phil’s been professional for six or seven years and is obviously a great player. It’s just a matter of time before he wins his first major.
“The same goes for David Duval. Duval wins with ease when he’s really on his game. Maybe not this week. But other weeks they can win their majors.”