Southern California's No. 1 Golf Source
SITE
SEARCH
GOLF RESOURCE GUIDE:
Par for the Course
|
||||
 A slimmer John Daly likes the fit — and look — of his Loud Mouth Golf pants (COURTESY: Loud Mouth Golf). Break out the shades, folks. John Daly is back, and his appearance — while a bit thinner — can best be described as fog-busting colorful. The two-time major champion’s return from a PGA Tour-sanctioned six-month suspension was anything but subtle, as his pants screamed “look at me.” And the world did. One of the biggest draws in the game — which I think really irks the PGA Tour — Daly made headlines from Dubai to Downey when he cashed a second-place check at the Italian Open in May in his second start on the European Tour in ’09. And like the six-deep, blue-collar galleries that follow him here, the European crowds love him the way he is. “The fans over there are incredible,” Daly told me, adding the nervousness of not playing competitive golf for more than four months wore off quickly. “Their acceptance of me helped me settle in to just playing the game I love and letting the rest take care of itself.” In his competitive return to the United States last month, Daly failed to qualify for the U.S. Open and finished tied for 59th at the St. Jude Classic in Memphis, where he’s lived for almost 20 years. Back over in Europe for the summer, the Daly comeback isn’t happening alone. There’s a new girlfriend, a new golf coach and a new body, but there are old demons he still has to conquer. The 50-pound slimmer Daly credits lap-band surgery for the new waistline and for helping him curtail his drinking. Daly, famous for his “grip it and rip it” attitude on the golf course, must now “grip it and sip it” off the course. “It takes me almost an hour to drink a beer,” Daly explained, noting that his shrunken stomach can’t handle too much of anything too quickly. The saga of John Daly is well-chronicled. It’s been 18 years since he burst on the golf scene and turned a ninth-alternative opportunity into the stuff dreams are made of by winning the 1991 PGA Championship at Crooked Stick. Since then, Daly’s life has played out like a bad country song. He’s battled the bottle, a gambling habit and could have been a regular on “Divorce Court.” Yet part of the reason Daly believes the fans love him is because “I’m honest with them,” he said. “I did what I’ve done, I’ve paid for my mistakes and I don’t blame anyone else for my problems. “We all mess up. Some people more than others. I don’t make excuses for who I am. I am blue collar. I’m always the underdog.” And that’s the type of person fans like to root for. “I really love my fans,” Daly said. “I have time for them. I mix with them. I’m accessible.” His girlfriend, former Hooters waitress Anna Cladakis, is doing a terrific job managing his schedule and giving balance to his life. And he’s also benefitting from the advice of Rick Smith, the former swing coach of Phil Mickelson. Daly likely will play more in Europe the rest of the year in an attempt to earn his way back on the PGA Tour. Getting into the top 50 in the world rankings and the top 20 on the European Tour’s Order of Merit would make him eligible for a few World Golf Championship events in 2010, and his exemptions at this year’s British Open and PGA Championship will give him more opportunities to regain status on the PGA Tour. Then, there’s his new association with Loud Mouth Golf pants. The decision to wear the colorful slacks was part financial, part loyalty and part because he fits the company’s style. “First off, when I had no sponsor of any kind interested in me, they were, and for the right reasons,” Daly said. “The owner told me, and he’s right, these pants are fun and this kind of fun doesn’t get me in trouble, so that’s good. Not only are they really good pants that fit me well, but I also get to find out who my friends are and who really likes me. Wearing these pants draws attention, which of course I love, but a lot of the other pros like to tease me about them. People don’t tease people they don’t like.” Although Daly isn’t setting any golfing goals for the rest of the year — “I’m going to take life one day at a time” — he does want to do well so he can play the West Coast events early in 2010. “The West Coast Swing is my favorite part of the golf year. It represents a new start,” said Daly, whose last victory was at the 2004 Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines. “So much good can happen if you get off to a good start. “The toughest part of my suspension was not being able to play out West. I love the courses out there. [The South Course at] Torrey Pines is one of the two best public courses in the world, Riviera is a golfer’s dream and the crowds at the FBR Open in Phoenix are my kind of people.” Eric Tracy is also known as The Mulligan Man. He can be reached at eric@themulliganman.com. |
||||
RSS Subscribe
