Morgan is the first senior since Jack Kiefer at the Canadian Senior Open last year to fail to defend a title. Morgan pulled out of last week's event after two rounds because of back problems. You only get a chance like this maybe once in a lifetime. I'm not going to Vegas, but it's something I wouldn't bet against. Bob Duval's victory last week at the Emerald Coast Classic in Florida, where he beat Bruce Fleischer by two strokes, came a few hours before David won The Players Championship across the state.
Nobody can teach that.
You can't teach the concentration. A pro at two exclusive clubs in the Jacksonville, Fla., area, Duval spent some of his best competitive years following his son from tournament to tournament. David paid him back when Bob was 49 by urging him to prepare himself for the senior tour. Apart from Morgan, Bob Duval also won't have four-time champion Jack Nicklaus to deal with. Nicklaus, who designed Cochise and four other courses at Desert Mountain, is rehabilitating after hip-replacment surgery.