John Daly's journey earns him a different kind of exemption |
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To classify John Daly’s career as an example of unrealized expectations would be unfair. It’s unimaginable to think winning two of golf’s four major championships is a fair expectation, unless your name is Tiger Woods. While the world of sports is often captivated by winners, the spotlight is seldom stolen by guys who merely show up. When Daly shows up, people take notice; even if he has simply parked his RV at Hooters on Washington Rd., which is just down the road from Augusta National Golf Club, during the 2007 Masters. Daly’s life has been one of excess, whether it is the destructive drinking or compulsive gambling. And while he has struggled to moderate his vices, we the public and the media, simply can’t get enough of him. Either can the sponsors on the PGA TOUR, as the exemptions continue to pour in, allowing Daly more chances to turn things around.
Daly won the PGA Championship in 1991, the same year he joined the PGA TOUR. The win earned Daly a significant amount of media exposure due to the fact that Daly was the ninth and final alternate for the championship. At 41 and in his 19th year on the PGA TOUR, his only exemption into tournaments is as a past champion and there are 28 other exemption levels ahead of that one. This means he is dependent on sponsor’s exemptions to get into tournaments, which is how he played at the Sony Open, where he tied for 69th as a MDF (made cut, didn’t finish); the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, where he suspiciously withdrew; and at Pebble Beach, where he missed the cut. Daly also missed the cut at Torrey Pines, after getting in as a past champion. He shot a 76 during the final round of the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club and finished tied for 75th. His best finish came at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, where he wound up in a tie for 60th in an event played opposite the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. Thus far in 2008, Daly has entered six tournaments and played all four rounds in just half of them. He has earned a paltry $29,091 and is currently 177th in the FedEx Cup Standings. The last time Daly lit a fire on Tour was at the 2005 WGC-American Express Championship when he contested Woods in a playoff before eventually falling to the world’s best player. No doubt the electric atmosphere at San Francisco’s Harden Park that day was due in part to Woods’ presence, but for once it was actually magnified by Daly’s role as his adversary. As Woods correctly observed a while ago, “John Daly is one of the biggest draws in golf.” “All over the world,” Tiger said, when asked to explain why he invited Daly to his own end-of-the-year event, the Target World Challenge presented by Countrywide. “Anywhere he goes, he brings out the biggest galleries.” But bringing out the crowds and bringing in the big checks hasn’t necessarily brought out the best in Big John. His misfortunes include losing $1.5 million gambling in October 2005, after winning half that amount at the WGC-American Express tournament; the same in which he finished second in a playoff to woods. This brings us to the crux of the problem; Daly’s daily struggle to bring his talent to the surface in spite of his addictions. His excessive drinking has long been well-documented fodder for the media. He has entered into various alcohol addiction programs, including the Betty Ford Clinic at least three times, and has experienced three divorces since becoming a professional golfer. He continues to drink to this day in spite of his admitted addiction. Daly, who had withdrawn from 11 PGA TOUR events the last two years, made it an even dozen before Saturday’s round at this year’s Bob Hope. Daly couldn’t make his 9:33 a.m. tee time and cited a rib injury as his reason for pulling out. It was reported by several local news outlets that Daly was a hard-partying regular at many of the week’s social events and even had to be helped out of one after party by an unidentified man. In an interesting twist, Daly now has his own brand of wine with the motto: “Grip it and Sip it.” You can’t help but laugh and cringe at the same time. His legendary gambling was once helped out by golf club and equipment manufacturer, Callaway Golf. Daly’s five-year deal with Callaway, signed after he left rehab in April 1997, included a provision that he not drink or gamble. Daly eventually defaulted on those stipulations and lost a reported $3 million that was due to him over the final two years of the deal. Callaway had cleaned up about $1.7 million of Daly’s gambling debt as a part of their initial agreement. And while some can’t turn away because of the train wreck aspect of this tale, there is also a softer side to Daly; a person who is as generous and giving as they come. Through his annual golf tournament in Memphis, Tenn., he has raised millions of dollars for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and personally fulfilled wishes for hundreds of children. He holds another annual tournament to benefit the Boys & Girls Club in Dardanelle, Ark. Daly played golf at the University of Arkansas during college. Daly, and his former wife, Sherrie, established a charitable foundation in the fall of 2004. The organization is devoted in whole or in part to providing relief to the poor, distressed or underprivileged due to poor health or advance in years, with a special emphasis for the needs of young children and orphans. Daly is as compelling as they come. In a world not reluctant to give second chances, Daly seems on the path to indefinitely receive them. This week he received two more. The two-time major champion received an exemption to participate in the 40th annual Verizon Heritage to be played over the Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, April 14-20. The popular Daly has always attracted big crowds at Harbour Town during his six previous visits. He’s been in the running each of the last two Heritages until the weekend. This week, Daly received a sponsor exemption to the 2008 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. Palmer’s tournament is the third stop on the Florida Swing and will be contested next week at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando. For a golfer struggling personally and professionally, just being admitted to these events is an accomplishment. On a circuit filled with remarkable stories, Daly’s may be the best and that’s why we watch. He is the Mike Tyson of golf. In the past day and a half there has been discussion about which table of the all-time great NFL quarterbacks Brett Favre would occupy. The answers have been mixed. In terms of drawing crowds on the PGA TOUR, Daly sits at the same table as Tiger and Phil. He is as popular as he is difficult to understand. Let’s all hope he can pull himself together one last time and go out a winner, although he certainly won’t need it to be remembered.
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