I can safely say I never envisioned the often reticent David Duval wanting a career in television.

Apparently, that’s the case. The former No. 1 player in the world will be part of ESPN’s broadcast team for the U.S. Open.

From the release:

Duval, winner of 13 events and more than $18 million on the PGA TOUR, will be an analyst on feature group coverage that will air on ESPN3, ESPN’s multi-screen live sports network. The programming is available online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and through ESPN on Xbox LIVE.

“TV is definitely something that’s interesting and intrigues me,” said Duval. “I enjoy the game so much and I enjoy what’s going on in the game right now so much. The opportunity to do this presented itself and it worked out, so I thought this could be pretty fun.”

Duval had intended to play in the U.S. Open but did not qualify and indicated his work for ESPN should not be viewed as a signal he’s hanging up the clubs for good.

“I don’t want it to be seen as a transition because I don’t believe my playing career is over,” he said. “I know I’ve had a rough year but I’ve also been dealing with other small injuries that I haven’t talked about. But it (TV) is definitely something I’d like to do in the future.”

Who knew? He’s definitely a complex dude. I found him to be arguably the most intelligent golfer I’ve covered, capable of delivering deep, thoughtful answers. However, he also could be painfully terse in interviews. I thought he found the entire process extremely tedious. Nobody will ever accuse him of being a quote machine.

Exactly how Duval’s personality will translate to television remains to be seen. Clearly, though, it is worth a try of both fronts.