Cheers follow Daly but with plenty of tears in his wake
By JOHN ROMANO
Published March 22, 2004
ORLANDO - You come to realize, they will cheer. Not out of politeness, nor good taste. And with hardly any thought at all. Basically, it doesn't matter where John Daly hits it. When his golf club meets ball, the fans will cheer.
Put it in the middle of the fairway? The crowd shouts its approval. Put it in the parking lot beside No. 15? The shouts grow louder.
No matter where it lands, Daly always is the attraction.
Stuart Appleby was collapsing, Chad Campbell was charging and, still, a crowd left the 18th green to follow Daly off the course Sunday at Bay Hill.
His popularity, like his talent, is immense.
It is only Daly's career that sags.
Ah, but I know what you're thinking. He is coming back. He is on a roll. His career is going through another rebirth.
It is, no doubt, a fine story. In a grander sense, it can be portrayed as a triumph for the human spirit.
But it also reminds of the waste of so many years.
Daly finished in a tie for 10th at the Bay Hill Invitational, giving him three top-10 finishes in his first six events of 2004. Already that makes this one of the best seasons of his career.
That is no joke.
In only three of 13 previous seasons has Daly finished with more top 10s. Twice, he had four. Once, he had five.
And, still, they cheer.
They fancy Daly as one of them. A guy who eats too much, smokes like a chimney and gets nagged about his fondness for beer. A player without pretenses or a decent haircut. Someone who might look comfortable sitting on the adjacent stool. A hero for the common man.
But here's the fallacy. He is not common. Daly has an extraordinary talent for playing golf. He's made enormous amounts of money.
And he has tossed most of it away.
He could have been Tiger when Woods still was some kid named Eldrick. Peers will tell you Daly was one of the most gifted players they'd seen.
He hit the ball farther than anyone. He was impressive on the greens. He had a charm that was real and a future that was enviable.
Thirteen years later, he has relatively little to show for it.
Coming up on his 38th birthday, Daly can count five victories, four wives and two suspensions in his PGA Tour bio.
He has been in and out of alcohol rehab and is rumored to have had gambling problems. He has walked out on tournaments, destroyed hotel rooms and has not been among the top-100 money winners in six of the past eight years.
Once he was a character. Eventually, he became a caricature.
It's all that much clearer when you see Daly today. He is playing nearly as well as his best days. He smiles and jokes with crowds. He talks lovingly of his children and with great hope for the future.
"Peter Jacobsen told me, he said, "No matter what happens, John, the talent never goes away,' " Daly said recently. "That stuck with me for a long time."
A month ago, he was No. 299 in the world rankings. Now he is creeping closer to a top-50 ranking that would earn him a spot in the Masters.
"I just love the way I'm playing," Daly said. "Love the way I'm hitting the ball, chipping, putting. Hopefully getting some confidence."
Daly can also get a Masters bid if he is in the top 10 on the season money list. He is currently No. 9 but lost at least one place and allowed three of his closest competitors to close the gap Sunday with triple bogey on No. 18.
It was a finish that was typical Daly. Lots of excitement, but not always productive. Daly was 11 under and heading for a top-three finish when he came to No. 15. Over the next four holes, he had double bogey, eagle, bogey and the triple on the final hole.
"Not too many guys have (four) double bogeys and a triple and still finish in the top 10," Daly said.
"I'm setting records everywhere, buddy."
Daly laughed and everyone laughed along with him.
This is the engaging side of Daly. The one who does not argue in public with his spouse nor does he fail to live up to his sponsorship agreements.
This is the guy who talks honestly of his shortcomings, even if he does not always recognize them quickly enough.
This is the guy who was not ashamed to cry when he won the Buick Invitational last month, ending an eight-year streak without a victory.
Now, as he stands in the parking lot outside of the clubhouse, you see the Daly fans adore. Nearby they shout his name and hope for a wave. One offers a Bud Light. Another says he can smoke while he signs autographs.
To them, it's all a giggle. The overweight guy with an appetite for destruction. The renegade playing a gentleman's game.
They see all that he has overcome and little of what he has left behind.
