Golf
Daly's agent, tour official dispute report of a mandatory rehab
By Wire services
Published October 26, 2003
LAKE BUENA VISTA - John Daly is skipping the year's final two PGA Tour events, including the Chrysler Championship starting Thursday at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, to take care of personal issues, a tour official said Saturday.
Chief of operations Henry Hughes and Bud Martin, Daly's agent at SFX Sports, both denied a report that Daly was barred from the tour until he seeks treatment for alcoholism.
SportsTicker reported that commissioner Tim Finchem issued an ultimatum and that Daly complied by returning to alcohol rehab.
"There is absolutely no ultimatum that he can't play, and it's categorically false that he has entered rehab or is even contemplating going to one," Martin said.
Daly withdrew from the Funai Classic at Disney about two weeks ago and is not in the field for the Chrysler Championship, the final full-field event of the year.
Since August the two-time major winner has missed the cut three times, withdrew from three tournaments and was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard in another.
He won the Korean Open two weeks ago, however, for his first victory since the 2001 BMW International Open in Germany.
"John has voluntarily taken himself out of the last two events of the year to focus on other issues in his life," Hughes said. "There was no ultimatum from the commissioner. He's not in rehab. It is not mandated. None of that is true."
Daly has been in alcohol rehab twice since his stunning victory in the 1991 PGA Championship. His last stop in rehab was in 1997, although he resumed drinking in 1999, a decision that cost him a $3-million contract with Callaway Golf.
The latest blow in his personal life was this summer when his wife, five days after giving birth to a son, was indicted with her parents on drug and illegal gambling charges in Mississippi.
The long hitter is 169th on the PGA Tour money list and is exempt for two more years because of his victory in the 1995 British Open.
"I think everyone is concerned about John because he's had so many high and low points," Hughes said. "We'll work with him."
SCHWAB CUP CHAMPIONSHIP: Jim Thorpe bogeyed the final hole, but his 2-under 70 maintained a three-stroke lead over Tom Jenkins through three rounds in Sonoma, Calif.
Jenkins got within two strokes of the lead after 11 holes, but Thorpe birdied the next two holes to extend his lead in the Champions Tour's final event of the season. Thorpe was at 16-under 200, Jenkins (70) at 203. Tom Watson remained four back after matching Jenkins and Thorpe with 70.
"We all made mistakes and piddled around," Watson said.
Tom Kite (69), Graham Marsh (69) and Hale Irwin drew within six of the lead. Irwin's 6-under 66 was the day's low score.
SBS SUPER TOURNAMENT: Playing against men on the Korean tour, Se Ri Pak shot 3-under 69 to tie for 10th out of 63 players to make the cut in Seoul. Pak, the first woman since Babe Zaharias in 1945 to make the two-round cut in a men's tournament, was bogey-free in the third round and moved to 1-under 215, seven strokes behind leader Chang Ik-je. Pak entered the third round tied for 29th after 72-74.
MADRID OPEN: Paul Casey took a four-stroke lead with par 71 in the third round in Spain. Casey was at 14-under 199 in trying for his third European PGA Tour title this year. Paul Lawrie (70), Peter Fowler (70) and Nick O'Hern (69) were tied for second at 10 under. Casey was at the course early to complete his second round, suspended Friday because of frost. Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia were at 7 under.
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