Any Chance for a Duval Comeback?

It really is one of the strangest stories in golf. David Duval, the only golfer besides Vijay Singh to actually give Tiger Woods a run for his money since he came on the PGA Tour, wins the 2001 British Open and then drops completely from the headlines.

Don't look now, but Duval shot a 4-under 66 on Thursday at the Valero Texas Open and will tee off Friday in the top-20 of a PGA Tour event. The last time Duval shot a 66 was the first round of the Buick Invitational in 2007, and since that round Duval has bested 70 a ridiculous 16 out of 92 rounds, or just 17 percent of the time. He has missed his last six cuts, shooting in the 80s more times than he has broken par. His 4-under round at La Cantera, however, was solid, including just one bogey to his five birdies.

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The question has been tossed around a lot, but is there a way Duval can come back?

His game has been interesting. After making every cut but two in '01, with his lone major championship victory and a second at the Masters, Duval's consistency has been that of a Waffle House omelet. In 2003 he made just four of 20 cuts. In 2005 he shot 30-over par at the Bob Hope, a tournament he won in 1999 with a final round 59.

Most golf historians will tell you the guy is done for good, and this, like his 63 at the Sony Open in 2006, is just a blind squirrel coming across another nut. That said, he is still out grinding it on tour, making this his 11th start in '09, but he has only cashed two checks.

Friday we will see if Duval can do what he's struggled with of late and string consecutive positive rounds together to try and make an actual move this weekend. No matter, it's nice to see David back on the course and actually making some birdies. It has been a long time since Nike featured a golf ball with the DD initials on it. If he continues this play over the weekend, it might be worth breaking out a sleeve for old times sake.