Robert Duval (born October 9, 1946) is an American

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

and is best known for being the father of

David Duval David Robert Duval (born November 9, 1971) is an American professional golfer and former World No. 1 Golfer who competed on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. Duval won 13 PGA Tour tournaments between 1997 and 2001; inc ...

, formerly the top-ranked player in the world.

Early life and amateur career

Duval was born in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

, the son of professional golfer Henry '"Hap" Duval, and grew up in

upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...

. His father worked full-time for the

United States Post Office Department The United States Post Office Department (USPOD; also known as the Post Office or U.S. Mail) was the predecessor of the United States Postal Service, established in 1792. From 1872 to 1971, it was officially in the form of a Cabinet of the Un ...

starting at 4 a.m., then taught or played golf until dark, weather permitting. In order to be around his father, Bob learned to play golf when he was six and the game was also a fit with his competitive nature. He attended

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

on a golf scholarship with

Hubert Green Hubert Myatt Green (December 28, 1946 – June 19, 2018) was an American professional golfer. Green won 19 PGA Tour events including two major championships: the 1977 U.S. Open and the 1985 PGA Championship. He was inducted into the World Go ...

Professional career

Duval did not consider playing on the pro tour; he was hired at

Timuquana Country Club Timuquana Country Club is a private golf and country club in Jacksonville, Florida. Located in Jacksonville's Ortega neighborhood, it was founded in 1923. Its golf course was originally designed by legend Donald Ross, and members have included P ...

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

as an assistant pro in 1968. The following year, he began work at the municipal course in Fernandina Beach for four years. Duval returned to Timuquana as head pro in 1973 and stayed there for 13 years.

Senior career

As his 50th birthday approached, David encouraged him to join the Senior PGA Tour. Bob stated, "When he told me that he believed in my game, especially after what we had been through, it did a lot for my confidence." Duval played in some "club pro" tournaments to sharpen his game.

Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus (; born January 21, 1940), nicknamed "the Golden Bear", is an American retired professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greate ...

put together a series of 14 south Florida tournaments called the ''Golden Bear Tour''. The entry fee was $15,000 plus living expenses, and Duval didn't have the money. Shari created a business proposal for individuals to sponsor Bob Duval's tour career. Six friends invested $5,000 each, which would be reimbursed from winnings. Duval won one of the tournaments and was certain he could make it on the tour. His total winnings were $29,000, allowing him to repay the sponsors.Duval, Bob
"Letters to a Young Golfer"
pages 87-78 He has about two dozen top-10 finishes including a wire-to-wire win at the 1999 Emerald Coast Classic. His win came on the same day that his son David won

The Players Championship The Players Championship (commonly known as simply The Players, stylized by the PGA Tour as THE PLAYERS Championship) is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour. Originally known as the Tournament Players Championship, it began in 1974. The ...

on the PGA Tour and ascended to the #1 ranking in the world.

Personal life

In 1968, Duval married Diane Poole. They had three children: Brent (b. 1969),

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

(b. 1971), and Deirdre (b. 1976). In his childhood Brent developed

aplastic anemia Aplastic anemia (AA) is a severe hematologic condition in which the body fails to make blood cells in sufficient numbers. Normally, blood cells are produced in the bone marrow by stem cells that reside there, but patients with aplastic anemia ...

. The family sought treatment at Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, where younger brother David, who was 9, underwent surgery to donate bone marrow. Unfortunately, the transplant was not successful, and Brent died as a result of

sepsis Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and s ...

on May 17, 1981 at age 12. Both Bob and Diane used alcohol to numb the emotional pain and their relationship deteriorated. Duval was unable to cope, and moved out of the family home for a year. Counseling enabled him to reunite with his wife and children, and in 1987, he accepted an offer to be golf pro at the ''Plantation'', a new gated, golf community in

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida Ponte Vedra Beach is a wealthy unincorporated community and suburb of Jacksonville, Florida in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located in the Jacksonville metropolitan area, southeast of downtown Jacksonville and north of St. Augu ...

. Bob was unhappy in his marriage, so in 1993, he left his family permanently and the divorce was final in 1996. When Duval began seeing Sharon Blum, David stood by his mother, who was deeply depressed. He blamed his father and their relationship diminished. After some time had passed, they began talking again, and David realized that his father was happy. In 1996, Duval married Sharon.

Bibliography

* 2002, ''Letters to a Young Golfer (Art of Mentoring)'', by Bob Duval and Carl Vigeland, afterword by

Professional wins (2)

Golden Bear Tour wins (1)

Senior PGA Tour wins (1)

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Duval, Bob American male golfers Florida State Seminoles men's golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Golfers from New York (state) Sportspeople from Schenectady, New York Golfers from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida 1946 births Living people 20th-century American sportsmen