Duval shaken after his ball struck a fan in the head

text size

Lyons/Getty Images

David Duval was playing well until his ball struck a fan, and he struggled to focus for the rest of the round.

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) -- David Duval was on a roll. He was 5 under as he teed off on the par-4 10th and was leading the Memorial Tournament on Thursday.

But Duval's ball sailed just to the right of the fairway, and his round was never the same afterward.

Duval's drive struck a spectator near the large bunker that gobbles up shots to the right of the fairway. The ball hit the man in the head, and what Duval confronted when he reached the ball was enough to leave him shaken.

"It's easier to swallow if there's not blood coming out of somebody's head. And the guy was shook up," said Duval, who said he was with the 60-year-old, Columbus-area man until he received medical attention. Duval said he was told the man was OK.

The last time Duval said he had struck a fan with a shot was 10 years or so ago at THE PLAYERS Championship.

Duval, winless since capturing the 2001 British Open, admitted that he was rattled for a couple of holes. He bogeyed the 10th hole and double-bogeyed the 12th, shooting a 4-over 40 on the back and finishing at 1-under 71.

He was asked if he offered his victim a token gift to make him feel better.

"You end up giving them a signed golf ball or glove. But like that really matters at that point, you know?" he said. "It's like, 'Great, I got hit in the head and I got a golf ball for it.'"

Reminded that many Major League Baseball fans throw opposing home run balls back on the field, Duval laughed.

"I kind of kept my eye open for a minute to see if he was going to throw it at me," he said.

------

INVITED BACK: A year ago, Mathew Goggin shot a 7-under 65 in the first round of the Memorial and then regaled reporters with hilarious stories about the only previous time he had visited Muirfield Village Golf Club.

Back in 1999, while staying with friends, he celebrated his birthday a bit too much and missed a scheduled tee time at the course. Then he had to quit after eight holes because he was sick.

Goggin blamed it all on his host, Gary Nicklaus -- son of Memorial Tournament founder Jack Nicklaus -- whom he jokingly called "a bad influence."

He ended up tying for second to cash a $396,000 check.

On Thursday, Goggin, from Tasmania, frittered away a great round when he triple-bogeyed the final hole to polish off a 1-under 71.

Judging from his return engagement, it's clear the Nicklaus family has forgiven him, right?

"I sat with (Jack) at lunch the other day, and he didn't say anything about it," Goggin said. "Either that or he just didn't know who I was. I don't know for sure."

------

DIVOTS: Winner of the 2002 Memorial, Jim Furyk's 67 was his lowest opening round in 14 appearances at the tournament. ... The first-round leader has gone on to win just five of 22 stroke-play events on the PGA TOUR this year. ... Only one player (Ernie Els in 2004) has led the Memorial after the first round and ended up winning it. ... A year ago, Kevin Chappell showed up at the Memorial to receive the Nicklaus Award, given to the U.S. college player of the year. He was invited to play in the tournament this year and was last in the field of 120 with an 86.