LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Twelve years is a long time, to be sure. But it must seem like another life to David Duval, who, at the end of the 1997 season, won three straight PGA Tour events, stamping himself as one of the game's emerging players.

One of those victories came here at the Walt Disney World Resort, where Duval won what was then called the Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic. He defeated Dan Forsman in a playoff, a week after winning the Michelob Championship and a week before capturing the Tour Championship.

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If David Duval does finish outside the top 125 on the PGA Tour money list, his second-place finish at the 2009 U.S. Open would exempt him into the Masters and U.S. Open in 2010. Plus, as a past champion, he can play in the British Open at St. Andrews in July.

It was a far different landscape in golf, well before the advent of the FedEx Cup playoffs, when a strong complement of players showed up for the season-ending tournaments.

"Certainly it was awhile ago," Duval, 38, recalled Wednesday on the eve of what is now called the Children's Miracle Network Classic. "More than anything, I remember I was comfortable. … I don't ever recall hitting the golf ball because I just kind of swung it. And that putt I made for par in the playoff was just one of those kind of shots where you just barely even feel the ball get in the way of the putter.

"And it was just a long time ago. I've gone through a few other things since then. I've seen both sides."

Yes, anyone who knows Duval's story is keenly aware of the differences between then and now.

Those three victories were the beginning of a four-year run that saw him win 13 times on the PGA Tour, including the 2001 British Open. He was ranked No. 1 in the world for a stretch in 1999 -- 10 years ago -- a season in which he became the third and thus far last PGA Tour player to shoot 59.

Now, of course, Duval is just hoping to hang on.

He is 125th on the PGA Tour money list -- "on the bubble" -- and could use a decent week to secure his playing status for 2010. Duval hasn't finished inside that magic 125 number since 2002.

Those among the top 125 can set their schedules; those outside face a bit more uncertainty. Duval, as a former major champion with a name for himself, certainly could get his share of sponsor exemptions if necessary. But …

"You don't want to rely on it," he said. "I would like to think that the relationships I've built up over 15 years or so and the tournaments I go to, I would get the kind of starts I typically play. But that's not a position you want to be in."

Duval, who said he sent in his Q-school application just in case but is unsure whether he will go, finds himself in this position, remarkably, despite a tie for second at the U.S. Open in June, where he was in contention the entire back nine and ended up finishing 2 shots back of winner Lucas Glover.

That effort was viewed as a sign that Duval was back after years of struggles. It was his first top-10 finish since 2002, and it put him comfortably inside the top 125 in a year in which he was using a one-time exemption for being among the top 50 all time on the PGA Tour money list.

But Duval was unable to follow up that performance with anything close to the same success. A top-20 finish anywhere along the way probably would have been enough to get it done, meaning Duval might not even be here this week.

That never happened. Duval, who has made just six cuts all year, has made only one in seven events since the U.S. Open. Hence, he sits at No. 125, barely $10,000 ahead of No. 126 Chris Riley.

"I feel like I've played better than my standing, and I shouldn't be there," Duval said. "So I kind of figure if I continue to do what I've been doing, everything will take care of itself in regards to that. That's about all I can control."

Duval made the good point that if things don't go his way this week, he could be outside of the top 125 and have just conditional status, yet be exempt for the first three major championships next year.

His tie for second gets him in the Masters as well as the U.S. Open, and his 2001 British Open victory guarantees him a spot at St. Andrews.

"It's kind of funny how the game works," Duval said. "That's why I think that's not that big of a deal."

And yet … it is.

There's a big difference between being 125th or being 126th. For one, all the Q-school and Nationwide grads have status before No. 126 on the money list. That means setting a schedule is much more difficult.

Plus, being in the top 125 gets you into a few other tournaments, including the Players Championship.

"I'm very happy with how things have gone as far as my golf swing and my game this year," Duval said. "I'm very displeased with the results. For some reason, that seems to be the last thing that falls into place, the scoring aspect of the game that can be so difficult. I don't know why that is. It just is. … I feel like most of the time I've been in control of what I wanted to do and just for one reason or another haven't gotten anything out of it."

It's simple: Play better

As is always the case, there will be some disappointed PGA Tour players come Sunday. They will either have failed to finish among the top 125, meaning no full exempt status next year, or perhaps finished outside the top 150, which means no tour status and a trip to the second stage of Q-school just to have a shot at getting back.

It's a difficult time for players in those situations because they've had all year to take care of business and, for some reason or another, were unable to pull it off. Making the pressure of this weekend even more pronounced is the knowledge that these guys aren't exactly on a roll. If they were, this would not even be an issue.

There might be a few who grumble about lack of opportunities, but all that talk ceases when you look at one player: Tom Watson.

The 60-year-old Hall of Famer is 112th on the PGA Tour money list despite having played in just two tournaments and made the cut in only one. Of course, that one was the British Open, where he lost in a playoff to Stewart Cink after having the tournament within his grasp on the final hole. He earned $732,603 for that finish and is nearly $110,000 ahead of No. 125 David Duval -- who will tee it up for the 22nd time this week.

Watson is not in need of retaining his exempt status, but his example is a strong one. Play well on the PGA Tour even just one week, and you can take care of a lot of troubles.

A look at this week's venue

The Children's Miracle Network Classic is played on two courses at the Walt Disney World Resort, the Magnolia and the Palm. Because the tournament uses a pro-am format for the first two rounds (one pro, one amateur), each professional in the field plays one round on the Magnolia and one on the Palm, before the final 36 holes are played on the tougher Magnolia course.

The Palm Course was the easiest on the PGA Tour last year. It measures a little more than 7,000 yards and is obviously the course where you have to be thinking red numbers if you want any chance in the tournament.

The Magnolia ranked 49th out of 54 courses on the PGA Tour in difficulty last year, but it sure doesn't seem easy. It stretches to more than 7,500 yards, and the 18th is a 454-yard par-4 brute.

But because of the pro-am format, the pins are not overly tough the first two days, and although the Bermuda rough is deep, it is not overly difficult for a tour pro. Davis Love III was 25 under last year, and a score of at least 20 under has been required to win in eight of the past nine years.

The Disney tournament has a long history, dating to 1971. Jack Nicklaus won it the first three years, then it became a team event for eight years. Among the tournament's winners have been Hal Sutton, Payne Stewart, Larry Nelson, Lanny Wadkins, Raymond Floyd, Mark O'Meara, Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh.

Two years ago, the tournament became part of the PGA Tour's Fall Series, and it has been the last event on the schedule.

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