What David Duval said his relationship with Tiger Woods was really like after being named as his biggest rival

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David Duval and Tiger Woods were involved in some fierce battles on the golf course throughout their time playing against one another.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Duval and Woods were two of the best players in the world, alongside Phil Mickelson.

Steve Williams recently claimed that Duval was Woods’ biggest rival, and that’s no surprise really considering how often they came face-to-face during a five-year period.

Duval won The Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2001 but then regressed massively, while Woods continued to win at an incredibly impressive rate with consummate ease.

The duo actually partnered up to win the World Cup in 2000 in Buenos Aires.

However, what was their relationship really like? Were the two players genuinely friends, or more like enemies?

What David Duval said his relationship with Tiger Woods was really like

Woods obviously got the better of Duval more often than not, but the now 53-year-old from Jacksonville, Florida, certainly pushed him all the way more than most.

With that kind of rivalry during competition, and the sometimes stoic nature of both players, it’s easy to assume that they perhaps weren’t very close off the golf course.

However, that clearly was not the case.

When speaking on the No Laying Up Podcast in 2024, Duval responded when asked what his relationship with Tiger was really like.

He said: “We were friends.

“I don’t know what the word is or adjective to describe him as the icon, but, you know, obviously he came out and turned pro and had success and started to win a little bit and started to win some more.

“Tiger Woods today, I believe he’s 47 now, [that was a] generational time period where he became that icon.

“Back then when he turned pro, it’s not like he turned pro and became the best player in the world. Everybody knew him. Everybody knew who he was and expected a lot, but it took time for the aura of it to continue to build.

“For me, we were…I was probably one of his more closer, better friends along with Mark [O’Meara]. I think as much as anything he trusted us and, you know, knew that we were just his friends and didn’t really give a crap about the other stuff.

“But when you have somebody like that, as it just grows and grows and grows then that circle has to tighten and tighten and tighten. And that’s just how it played out.“

David Duval vs Tiger Woods: Their careers compared by numbers

Woods got the better of every single player in his era when it comes to wins, and most other eras in all fairness to him!

Here is how his record stacks up against Duval’s:

Whilst Duval enjoyed a very successful career, his achievements were somewhat tarnished by his struggles following his Open win in 2001.

217 missed cuts is a seriously shocking number for someone with Duval’s talent.

However, at one point, he was the best player in the world.

Woods knew that Duval represented a real challenge to him every time he teed it up. However, the really nice thing is that the two seemingly shared a close friendship off the golf course.