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 Daly falters with 77 in second round Crowd favorite reveals he had major gambling problem
Posted: Monday July 26, 1999 03:58 PM
PINEHURST, N.C. (CNN/SI) -- John Daly learned one of the toughest lessons in golf: One good round doesn't win championships. Daly shot a 7-over 77 just one day after he surprised the galleries at Pinehurst No. 2 with a 68 to head into the second round one back of the leaders. On Friday, he simply couldn't compete with the difficult Pinehurst conditions. "Sooner or later, I'm going to put four good rounds together," he said. "It hasn't happened yet, but hopefully I can put three of four together before I leave here." On Thursday, the hero of the everyman strolled up the 18th fairway with his shaggy blonde hair, orange-tinted sunglasses, expansive belly and cigarette dangling from his lips, soaking up the cheers of the gallery. The reception for Daly was more subdued after his dismal second round, which included a double bogey, six bogeys and just one birdie. "I don't know who is going to show up tomorrow," Daly said after Thursday's round, which turned out to be prophetic. "It's kind of scary, but I want to soak this day in and pat myself on the back for a round that I very much needed for myself and my self-esteem." Too many times, he's fallen off the wagon of sobriety. Too many times, he's stumbled into an abyss of gambling debts and other personal woes. Too many times, he's staggered off the golf course, uncertain if this bedeviling game is really worth all the trouble. Daly is a baffling, complex man, capable of pushing aside his demons every so often to demonstrate considerable skills with a club in his hands. In 1991, Daly won the PGA Championship. In 1995, he captured the British Open. The calendar says it's time for another major title, but it seems unlikely now. "John can play that well at any time," said Tiger Woods, tied with Daly after the first round but now six shots ahead. "He's got so much talent. Yeah, he hits it a long way, but he's also got a wonderful short game. People overlook his touch." Daly, who has only four victories in his career, provided scant signs in recent weeks that he was ready to contend. He had missed the cut or withdrawn from eight of 16 events this season, including a meltdown at the Memorial two weeks ago. He dropped out after six-putting on the 18th green to cap a first-round 82. "I didn't even expect to make the cut when I came here," said Daly, who seemed likely to be playing on the weekend. "I thought I would go home Friday evening and watch the rest of the tournament on TV." Daly started the Open with three straight birdies, but his putter wasn't as accurate Friday. He began with second round with five straight pars before falling apart. "I feel with my ability and talent, if I can get off to a decent start there's no telling what will happen," he said.
Last year, he was one of nine players to shoot under par in the first round at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, only to finish with rounds of 75, 75 and 78. He considered skipping this year's Open, saying he was tired of narrow fairways and 5-inch rough taking the driver out of his hands. But Daly decided to come to North Carolina after hearing of the wide, flat fairways where he could whale away with his big stick. He did just that Thursday, using only one iron off the tee on a par-4. "I think a major championship should be played to where you've got to play golf and not having to hit the 4-, 5- and 3-irons off the tees," he said. With typical candor, Daly discussed his ongoing battle with alcoholism that still seems capable of destroying his career at any time. "There are days when I get down on sobriety," said Daly, who has been seeing a sports psychologist the past month. He also revealed to the News & Record of Greensboro, N.C., that he gambled away $9 million during the mid-1990s, sometimes wagering more than $200,000 on a single hand of blackjack. He managed to pay off most of the gambling debts but is struggling to cope with dwindling earnings on the PGA Tour -- less than $22,000 in the last three months. "John is coming around," Payne Stewart insisted. "I think he is in control of his life and he has thought of a way to play this golf course and he's doing a good job of it. More power to him."
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | |||||||||||||||||
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