Ken Duke

Ken Duke won his first PGA title at the Travellers Championship. As this veteran of North American golf finally breaks through and joins the winner’s circle, this week’s player profile looks at Duke’s long journey to victory.

At 44 years old, Ken Duke is the second-youngest player to win a PGA Tour title. Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas – the hometown of former American President Bill Clinton – Duke overcame a serious physical disability and many other challenges to carve a career in North American golf.

During his childhood years, Duke was diagnosed with Scoliosis, a condition that affects the spine. Despite wearing a back brace for much of his childhood and adolescence having undergoing a major surgical procedure, Duke excelled at collegiate golf. While attending Henderson State University he was a member of the Second Division Team.

In 1994 Duke weathered the odds and turned professional at the age of 25. Since then he has been a regular contender on golf tours in North America, South America, and Asia. His first big professional wins came in 1999 on the Canadian Tour when he won the Bayer Championship and Shell Payless Open, receiving the Order of Merit that season.  Prior to these victories, Duke had been victorious at the 2006 BMW Charity Pro-Am, a Nationwide Tour event.

Duke has played on the US PGA and Nationwide Tours since 2004. Although he lost his PGA Tour card in 2005 and returned to the Nationwide Tour, he topped the money list the following season and was awarded the prize for Most Improved Player. In 2007 he was ranked inside the top 100 on the World Golf Rankings.

Sunday’s victory at the Travellers Championship could not have come sooner for Ken Duke. A crowning achievement for this brave and dedicated golfer, Duke’s first PGA title is a fitting prize for this player who beat the odds to win at the highest level of the game.

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