A month ago, everyone was wondering when David Duval would get his first PGA Tour victory. Now they are wondering when he will stop.
The Duval Express rolled through the Tour Championship on Sunday as he won his third consecutive tournament, taking home the $720,000 first prize by one stroke over Jim Furyk and two strokes over Davis Love III.Just like that, after being winless in his first 92 events on the PGA Tour, Duval is 3-for-3.
"Three victories in a year, no matter how they are spaced out, is a great year," said Duval, the first player since Nick Price in 1993 to win three consecutive starts, and the first player to make his first three victories consecutive.
Duval, who closed with a 3-under 68 for an 11-under 273 total, also denied Love a chance to edge out Tiger Woods for the money tile - and possibly player of the year honors.
Love, who bogeyed the last hole knowing he needed a birdie to tie Duval, would have won the money title and possibly player of the year if he had taken the season-ending event.
"I would have liked to have finished a little better," said Love, who shot a 70. "But it was nice to make Tiger sweat a little bit on the back nine."
The money title went to Woods with a record $2,066,833 despite finishing 12th, and he likely will be voted player of the year by PGA Tour members.
Woods won four times in 1997, including his sensational victory in the Masters, but closed the season without a victory since July 6.
"To end up like this does hurt," said Woods, who closed with a 69 to tie for 12th at 3-under 281. "But it's been a good season overall. And being a 21-year-old it's not a bad first year on tour."
Duval finished second on the money list with $1,885,308, while Love finished third with $1,635,953.
Duval, who will be 26 next week, had seven second-place finishes and was developing a nasty label as a guy unable to finish off tournaments. Now he seems drenched in confidence.
"After those putts in the playoffs at Kingsmill and then Disney, I just look forward to having those now," Duval said, referring to his two victories in October, the first two of his career.
"It is nowhere in my mind that I am going to miss it," he said.
A 3-iron from 257 yards on the par-5 13th hole put Duval 40 feet from the hole and when the ball rolled from the shade into the sun and dropped into the hole to erase a two-stroke deficit, a third consecutive victory became a possibility.
"It got me right back in the ball game," Duval said.
He took the lead a short while later when Love drove into the rough on No. 14 and missed a 12-foot par-saving putt.
The big putt for Duval was a 12-footer to save par on No. 17 after he drove deep into the right rough.
"It was no more than 6 feet from OB," he said about the out-of-bounds fence and its two-stroke penalty.
He saved par on the final hole with a deft chip from the rough behind the green to 18 inches.
Love was simply unable to get his irons close to the pin on the closing holes. He could only get to 30 feet with a 9-iron from 140 yards on No. 15 and his 8-iron from 150 yards on No. 17 could do no better than get 35 feet from the hole.
Love did stay in the hunt, however, with a 22-foot par-saving putt on No. 16 just moments before Duval saved his par on No. 17.
Ralphs Senior Classic
At Los Angeles, Gil Morgan successfully defended his Ralphs Senior Classic title, closing with a 6-under-par 65 to finish one stroke ahead of George Archer.
Morgan finished at 15-under-par 198 for his fifth win this season, worth $150,000 to boost his season's earnings to $1.8 million.
Archer shot 64 to take second at 14-under 199. Third was Jimmy Powell at 203.
Volvo Masters
At Jerez, Spain, Scotland's Colin Montgomerie won the European PGA money title for a record fifth straight year when the Volvo Masters was shortened to 54 holes by heavy storms, making England's Lee Westwood the winner of $265,600.