This article has been submitted by Ian Cass.
Shape up Long John. We miss you out there.
In 1991, a relatively unknown rookie entered PGA Championship week as the eight and final alternate. Come Sunday afternoon, he found himself raising the Wanamaker trophy high above his mullet. Since this famous “zero to hero” victory, John Daly has been one of the most entertaining and charismatic characters in the world of sports. He has the most recognizable and unique swing the game has every seen (sorry Jim Furyk), he bombs it off the tee, he never lays up or plays it safe, he interacts with the fans, and he has incredible touch in and around the greens for someone of his…let’s go with…physique. But unfortunately for Long John, these are not the qualities that have defined his career.
“There are probably some things I could do to keep my flexibility up, but I’d rather smoke, drink Diet Cokes and eat.”
This quote pretty much makes a long story short. Daly is the only professional athlete that anyone has ever seen smoking cigarettes and drinking Diet Cokes in front of the camera while performing at the highest level. Over the course of his career, Daly has been married and divorced four times, had serious issues with alcoholism and depression, and has squandered tens of millions of dollars popping quarters in Vegas.
Daly’s off-course drama has prevented him from consistently performing at the major championship level we all know he’s capable of. But other than Tiger, is there anyone that brings more excitement to a field or attracts a larger gallery? Not that I know of. And when asked the “dream foursome” question, I know almost everyone has Daly in there.
Starting in the 2004 season, Big John made a brief comeback of sorts, making 17 of 22 cuts including 5 top tens, a win, and a playoff loss to Tiger. He seemed to have his life and his game in order and the golf world was loving it. How good of a feeling was it to be able to cheer him on as he rolled in that last putt to win the Buick Invitational? How cool was it to watch Daly and Tiger fight down the stretch at the 2005 American Express? These were some of the best weeks the Tour had seen in years. But since the 2005 season, Daly has fallen back into his usual off-course grind.
On the morning of the second round at the 2007 Stanford St. Jude Championship, Daly showed up for his tee time with cuts across his face, claiming that his wife had attacked him with a steak knife. Earlier this month, he was disqualified from the Arnold Palmer Invitational for missing the Wednesday pro-am and then later found out that his swing coach Butch Harmon was quitting. Harmon was looking for Daly to put golf first in his life but decided to resign because “the most important thing in [Daly’s] life is getting drunk.” I guess I don’t blame Butch for leaving a guy who won’t go to the gym because they won’t let him smoke there.
John, I just want you to know that we’ve got your back. You have done so much for the game and we want you back out there doing what you do best. Grip it and rip it. Roll up in your RV. Make another 18 on the sixth at Bay Hill. Hit it off another Coke can in the Skins Game. Wear that Hooters logo proudly. Win that third major. But most of all we want to see you get well John. The game needs you. Do it for golf and do it for the fans. We miss you out there.
This article has been submitted by Ian Cass.