John Daly Sells Tickets

There are four players that sell tickets and raise television ratings for professional golf in the US.  Tiger Woods is the biggest draw of course, but he is missing in action.  Phil Mickelson has a huge following but he won’t play until Torrey Pines.  Michelle Wie is a difference maker but thankfully she is concentrating on the LPGA Tour and not the PGA.  John Daly is one of the four players that single handedly gets people Read more

Daly Quashes ‘Quit’ Rumours

Rumours of John Daly’s retirement from tournament golf appear to be wide of the mark. The player, who missed the cut at Torrey Pines in the Farmers Insurance Open, is widely reported to have said on Friday that he was done with the game.

However, Daly issued a brief statement on his Twitter stream that he wasn’t retiring.

“Never said retirement in anything or twitter-i want to correct that! simply sayin I need my time & working through these bad times thank you,” the tweet said.

Daly missed the cut at Torrey Pines after a second-round 71 saw the player fail to qualify for the weekend’s play by a huge nine shots and his statement about retiring came from a film crew who is filming Daly’s reality show. In a series of clipped responses, Daly is reported to be heard saying: “I’m done. … I can’t compete. … Just can’t play like I used to. I can’t keep taking spots from guys out here playing this bad. It’s not worth it.

“I’m tired of embarrassing myself in front of (my fans). I can’t do it any more.”

Daly is experiencing financial pressures and claimed on his Facebook profile that he wasn’t able to continue financially to play on the tour. Following a turbulent career, the player doesn’t have many sponsors but Daly was quick to praise those he had and also to attribute part of his slump to a rib injury he sustained in the Honda Classic in 2007.

Daly is currently playing on the PGA Tour solely on sponsors’ exemptions – the player is without a PGA Tour card – and has missed both cuts in the two events he has played.

But the player is adamant the Tour haven’t seen the last of the ‘Wild Thing’ and said he is still committed to the Tour and will fulfill his commitments to the tournaments that have given him exemptions, but will also be seeking others.

Daly also attributed the quit rumours to him being caught unware while on camera, and claimed the comments were down to frustration. Daly also denied the comments were a publicity stunt for his reality show, saying it wasn’t his style.

John Daly: Film Star?

American golfer John Daly’s life could be made into a biopic according to the man himself. And there would certainly be no shortage of material to feature in the film which would detail the ups-and-downs of his career.

Daly revealed his plans at a press conference ahead of the Australian PGA which gets underway on Thursday. The film, he said, would be based on a new book which he would pen himself.

Daly said he would cast his friend, Kevin James, as the golfer when he tipped the scales at 290 pounds and before he underwent gastric band surgery which saw him shed 115 pounds. James plays Doug Heffernan in the US-sitcom ‘King of Queens’ and starred alongside Adam Sandler in ‘I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry’.

For Daly as a 185-pounder, the player stated he would like Matt Damon in the role.

“I just saw Matt Damon, how he swung a golf club, and I thought if I ever made a movie, I want him to be me,” Daly said.

Asked about the storyline he said the film would simply be about his life and career, including four failed marriages, alcohol and gambling problems as well as his wins in the 1991 US PGA Championship and 1995 Open Championship.

“The problem is who is going to play all the ex-wives?” Daly laughed.

The golfer also leapt to the defence of beleaguered world number one, Tiger Woods, who is at the centre of media revelations surrounding his private life. Daly stated he is unhappy at players who have criticized Woods over his alleged marital problems.

“I’m not too happy with what some of the players have said. Without him our tour would not survive as what it is when Tiger plays. I just hope for him and Elin that they get through it.”

John Daly will play Australian events after injury recovery

John Daly’s on-off appearance at this year’s Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship is back ON after Daly initially withdrew several weeks ago from both events following a rib injury.

However, after undergoing stem cell surgery, the ‘Wild Thing’ has been given the green light to begin playing competitive golf again in two weeks and has added the Viking Classic in Madison, Mississippi to his tournament schedule between October 29th – November 1st as well as reaffirming his appearances in Australia.

The Australian Open will be held at the NSW Golf Club in Sydney from December 3-6 while the Australian PGA Championship will tee-off a week later in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

“I regret the confusion the injury process has caused but I’m relieved things have begun moving in the right direction,” Daly said.

Daly withdraws from Australian Tour due to injury

John Daly has been forced to pull out of his planned two-tournament trip to Australia due to a recurring rib injury, which the player suspects may rule him out for the remainder of the season.

Daly, the 1991 US PGA champion and winner of the 1995 British Open had planned to compete in the Australian Open in Sydney, as well as the Australian PGA Championship at Coolum in December. However, following a flare-up of the longstanding injury, Daly underwent surgery and announced his decision to withdraw.

Daly’s injury is the same which forced the player to pull out of this year’s US PGA tournament at Hazeltine, following an opening round of 78 in his first event back from a six-month Tour suspension. He incurred the original injury at the 2007 Honda Classic when he attempted to stop in mid-swing due to the sound of a camera being fired.

“I am really disappointed that I can’t come down to Australia as I was really looking forward to getting back there this year,” Daly said in a statement released by the player on Wednesday. “I really regret any inconvenience this unavoidable situation may have caused for the Australian PGA and Australian Open organizers but I will look forward to returning back there next year.”

Daly was to be a top draw along with Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh for the tournaments, although Daly – a fans favourite in Australia despite some controversy, may be the most missed of the trio despite the presence of the world number one.

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