Perhaps the only thing more remarkable about David Duval's huge jump in the Official World Golf Rankings this week was the long, slow plummet in which he went from No. 1 in the world to 882nd before his strong showing at the U.S. Open.

Of course, it wasn't just one week of work that saw Duval climb to No. 142 in the rankings, a rather incredible leap after he finished tied for second at Bethpage Black. Duval has been saying for some time that his game is close; it's just that the results never backed him up.

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David Duval is all smiles as he holds his 2-year-old son, Brayden, after finishing tied for second at the 2009 U.S. Open.

Now, for the first time in seven years, Duval, 37, has a top-10 finish. He came within a hugely terrible bad break of becoming one of the most unlikely major championship winners ever -- even though he's already claimed one.

And then comes the big question: Where does Duval go from here?

Does he revert to old form, or does he build on the success of the Open and become a frequent contender again?

"It may be arrogance, but it's where I feel like I belong," Duval said after a final-round 71 left him 2 shots behind winner Lucas Glover and in a tie for second with Phil Mickelson and Ricky Barnes.

"I was glad to come up here and hit the golf ball and control myself like I've been saying I've been doing, and how I've been talking about how I know I'm playing a lot better than my results have been showing.

"I stand before you certainly happy with how I played, but extremely disappointed in the outcome. I had no question in my mind I was going to win the golf tournament."

Duval might have been the only one who believed that. After winning the British Open in 2001 -- eight years ago -- he has rarely contended. He had two more top-10s that year, including a loss in a playoff. And then he had two top-10s in 2002. And that's been it.

Myriad issues sent Duval into a prolonged slump, including injuries that cannot be dismissed. They caused poor habits, which led to more problems. Along the way, there were issues of commitment, a new family, a difficult pregnancy for his wife during which he took most of the 2007 season off, and the constant struggles.

Duval was barely making cuts, if at all, even this year. Nothing in his results suggested he could win the U.S. Open.

But the scores don't show the work he's put in on the range or at home. They don't suggest the feel of the golf ball coming off the club or the sound of a purely struck shot.

"He said before qualifying, 'If I can just get there I'm hitting it so good,'" said Puggy Blackmon, Duval's coach at Georgia Tech who over the years has served on and off as a swing coach. "To do what he did here is phenomenal. This was vintage Duval. He's never going to get off again because he knows exactly what his golf swing is all about now. This could be the first of many great accomplishments for him."

Duval had to endure 36-hole sectional qualifying in Columbus, Ohio -- as did Glover -- and Duval's results there might have been a strong indication. He hit 34 of 36 greens and shot 9 under par. His only bogeys were 3-putt greens. And maybe that was the sign of what was to come.

A bad break at the third hole Monday could have spelled doom for Duval. It was his first hole of the day after play was suspended Sunday, and his iron shot to the par-3 hole buried in the lip of a bunker. Sure, it wasn't a good shot, but at worst it should have meant a bogey. Instead Duval made 6 and it was easy to think he was done.

But he battled back, making birdies at the 14th, 15th and 16th holes to forge a tie, then got a cruel lip-out on his 4-foot par putt at the 17th hole.

The former No. 1 is now taking a bit of time off before heading to the John Deere Classic the week prior to the British Open, where last year he flirted with contention before a third-round 83 knocked him back.

If nothing else, the $559,830 he won puts him on track to keep his PGA Tour card -- he is playing on a one-time exemption this year for those who are among the top 50 all time in career earnings -- and should give him confidence when he tees it up at Turnberry and then the PGA Championship at Hazeltine in August.

"I look back at what comes first, confidence or success," Duval said. "And I was gaining confidence while I was having little success. And it's very difficult to sit here and say second place is a failure. It is very much a success. It's not quite the success I had looked forward to this week and had hoped for, and some way expected. But success, nonetheless. And more confidence in what I'm doing."

A Ryder Cup for Bethpage?

Phil Mickelson thinks so much of Bethpage Black that he believes the two-time U.S. Open course would make an excellent venue for the Ryder Cup.

"The people here are incredible," said Mickelson, who finished runner-up at Bethpage for the second time. "And I just keep thinking that this is like the ideal spot to hold the Ryder Cup. Their fans here -- the golf course is terrific, because 16, 17 and 18 are so close together -- and the way the fans are, I think that we'd have a big advantage."

If Lefty gets his wish, he'd likely have to be the captain of the U.S. squad. The PGA of America, which determines the Ryder Cup venues when the United States is the home team, has already awarded future competitions to Medinah (Ill.) in 2012, Hazeltine National (Minnesota) in 2016 and Whistling Straits in 2020. Mickelson will be in his 50s during the next available Ryder Cup.

A Bethpage Ryder Cup sure would be interesting, given the already rowdy nature of the crowd. If you thought Brookline in 1999 was bad, Bethpage might make it look tame. They might have to stop beer sales at noon.

A look at this week's venue

The TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., offers up one of the shorter venues on the PGA Tour, playing to just 6,841 yards. But after a week at the U.S. Open, that is probably a good thing. The Travelers Championship, now in its third year of following the Open, offers a respite from the brutal conditions. And you can see it in the scoring: Stewart Cink won last year's tournament on the par-70 course by shooting 262, 18 under par.

This is the 26th year at the TPC River Highlands, which previously went by the name TPC Connecticut, since the event moved from its longtime home, Wethersfield CC, in 1984. Last year it ranked 38th out of 54 courses in difficulty on the PGA Tour, with the par-3 16th playing the most difficult.

The easiest hole on the course, but also one that manages to produce a lot of drama, is the par-4 15th. It measures just 296 yards and tempts players to try to drive the green. But because there is enough trouble on the hole, players will often hit an iron off the tee to set up a wedge shot to the green.

The Travelers Championship is one of the PGA Tour's longest-running events, dating to 1952 when it was known as the Insurance City Open. It became the Greater Hartford Open in 1967 and then the Sammy Davis Jr. Greater Hartford Open in 1973.

Bob Harig covers golf for ESPN.com. He can be reached at BobHarig@gmail.com.