Duval Snubbed by Humana

[tristanhilton85]

I was reading on GolfChannel.com this morning that David Duval has not been given a sponsors exemption to the Humana Challenge which is set to take place this month starting on the 17th. For those that are not aware, Duval has what could be argued as the defining moment in the tournament's history when he came back to win the tournament in 1999 (then called the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic) by shooting a 59 on Sunday.

He feels like the non-invite is a snub because of this and I think that I kind of agree. While he hasn't done much since his win there (he won the British Open in 2001 but then fell of the face of the earth), he still plays pretty decent golf, has had a few rounds where he looked something close to his former self (finished T2 at the 2009 US Open) and is a bit of an icon for this tournament.

Here is the link to the article I was reading:

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golftalkcentral/duval-irked-by-humana-challenge-snub/?mid=301&rid;=409536&source;=email

What do you guys think?

[geauxforbroke]

I kind of agree that it would be a nice sentimental pick. But we're talking about a guy that isn't even in the top 1000 in the WGR and only made three cuts in 2012 and never finished better than 60th in an event.

[CanuckAaron]

Originally Posted by geauxforbroke

I kind of agree that it would be a nice sentimental pick. But we're talking about a guy that isn't even in the top 1000 in the WGR and only made three cuts in 2012 and never finished better than 60th in an event.

I can appreciate your point but I will never forget watching that 59, one of the best rounds of golf I have ever seen on the pga tour. If I remember correctly he needed an eagle on the final hole for the 59 and proceeded to knock it stiff and sink the putt.

Maybe that is not a good enough reason to let him play but there have been sponsor exemptions for a lot less. If Duval not getting a spot is the result of a younger pro getting a chance (maybe someone from the Web.com) I could definitely live with that.

[tristanhilton85]

Originally Posted by CanuckAaron

I can appreciate your point but I will never forget watching that 59, one of the best rounds of golf I have ever seen on the pga tour. If I remember correctly he needed an eagle on the final hole for the 59 and proceeded to knock it stiff and sink the putt.

Maybe that is not a good enough reason to let him play but there have been sponsor exemptions for a lot less. If Duval not getting a spot is the result of a younger pro getting a chance (maybe someone from the Web.com) I could definitely live with that.

I think that is probably the reason why he didn't get it. The funny thing is that if he had won the tournament a year earlier this wouldn't be an issue as players winning in 1998 or before received a lifetime exemption while those winning from 1999 on get a 10 year exemption.

It's sad that he fell off so badly and every time he is in a tournament I hope to see him do well. It was pretty cool watching him contend a few years ago at the US Open.

[newtogolf]

It's my understanding that Sponsor exemptions are used for marketing purposes to bring in golfers that would draw a decent sized gallery but didn't qualify for the tournament.  To be fair to Duval and others that got in with the sponsor exemption, I'd want to know who they were and why it was felt they would attract a larger gallery.

I think it would be a great opportunity for them to revisit the tournaments history and his accomplishment in it by providing him an exemption and then playing him up.