To read stories like this is pretty cool. I remeber David Duval when he was lighting up the PGA Tour around the turn of the century. He was cocky, arrogant, and very very talented. But something happened to him along the way: he realized there had to be more to life than golf:

There was a time when David Duval’s mood was largely determined by golf. Even after winning the British Open in 2001, a part of Duval felt a strange melancholy, because he expected a major championship to bring him more joy.

“I was pretty consumed by golf,” Duval said in a telephone interview. …”I’m approaching things differently now.”

Once the No. 1-ranked player in the world, Duval has reached a different stage in his life at age 33, a happier stage where family takes precedence over career.

…and though Duval believes he will someday be one of the world’s best players again, reaching that goal is no longer the priority it was.

That article was written back in early 2005 just after Duval had emerged from a self-imposed sabbatical several years after being one of the highest-ranked players in the world from 1997-2001. This past year ended up being kind of a washout for Duval, as his playing schedule was restricted to seven events due to the need for him to play “Mr. Mom” and tend to his wife and her children from a prior marriage as she was laid up by a pregnancy complication that threatened the birth of their daughter.

Instead of playing 18 holes, Duval was “watching the kids and putting my bride to bed” in their home of Denver, where snow makes it impossible to practice year round. Susie was bed-ridden for three months but successfully gave birth to [daughter] Sienna in August.

To mirror previous successes, Duval will have to rely on a winning touch instead of a maniacal work ethic that drove his early single years.

“Eight years ago, golf was pretty important to me,” said Duval, who’s playing with stepson Deano Karavites this week. “I still enjoy it and it’s still important, but it’s not like anything I thought it was. To not have exposure to family life, I didn’t know any better. Now I hit balls when I can, and other than that, I don’t worry about it.

“I’m not willing to sacrifice my family for this little white ball.”

Duval will be able to increase the number of tournaments he plays in this year due to the medical exemption he received due to his wife’s condition. So, when you’re watching the Tour on TV next year, root for David Duval – someone who once thought he had it all, but now has it all in perspective.

Good for him.