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'Back to basics'

Daly withdraws from British Open

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Posted: Thursday July 08, 1999 03:44 PM

John Daly, the 1995 British Open champion, has had major problems in the last several tournaments. Tom Able Green/Allsport

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) -- John Daly, who won the British Open four years ago the last time it was played at St. Andrews, on Thursday withdrew from next week's Open at Carnoustie.

His announcement came after a disastrous 81 at last week's Irish Open and his decision to pull out of this week's Loch Lomond tournament.

"After long thought and consideration I have decided to withdraw," Daly said in a statement released through the Open tournament organizers.

"I have been struggling with my confidence of late and I think it is best for me to take a break from competitive golf and hopefully return with a more positive attitude.

"I look forward to returning next year."

That will be when the championship returns to St Andrews, where he had a dramatic triumph in a playoff with Italy's Costantino Rocca.

Daly, who is still in rehabilitation for alcoholism, has had major problems in several tournaments. He six-putted at one green during the Memorial Tournament and also took 11 at one hole during the U.S. Open.

John Mascatello, Daly's manager, said he hoped the former PGA titlist would be back in action in August.

"If everything goes as we hope we're probably looking at John returning to the game at the U.S. PGA in Chicago next month," he said. "In his own words, he has a confidence problem right now.

"Some of the problem, I think, has been tiredness from playing too much.

But for eight to 10 weeks he felt his game was cloe wanted to play one more [tournament] all the time believing that sooner or later he would hit -- but it didn't.

"He's had some good individual rounds and a few good two-round events, but he's just not been able to put it all together for four," Mascatello said.

"Hopefully, now he will reap the rewards of this break by using it to refresh himself and take himself back to basics."

Daly's announcement comes after Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite withdrew from the British Open because of poor form. Jack Nicklaus decided to miss the Open after continuing problems related to hip replacement surgery.

 

Related information
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Daly shoots 81 to slump into last place at Irish Open Daly says he will skip British Open
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John Daly 1999 PGA Tour Tournament Record
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