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19 April 2024

Unlucky 13, former champion Duval humbled at British Open

Rory McIlroy (AFP)

Published
By AFP

David Duval put Rory McIlroy's troubles on the first day of the British Open into perspective after hitting a 13 on the par-five seventh.

Duval's Open win in 2001 ensures he is invited back as a former champion despite his world ranking plummeting to 2,080 and spending the majority of his time working for television as a golf commentator.

Unlike home favourite McIlroy, who suffered a quadruple-bogey eight at the first, Duval started well by birdying the opening two holes.

However, after hitting an eight himself for quadruple bogey at the fifth, disaster truly struck for Duval at the seventh.

The 47-year-old incurred a two-shot penalty for hitting the wrong ball among a calamity of errors that initially saw him credited with a 15 before being corrected down to 13 by the match referee.