Daly finding therapy on golf course

John Daly looked the part of a professional athlete as much as a guy named Earl scarfing down chili dogs at the truck stop.

Daly displayed some odd habits when he warmed up at the Desert Inn Golf Club for the opening round of the Las Vegas Invitational. Daly, about to compete in a $2 million PGA Tour event, held a Marlboro in one hand and a McDonald's Super Size Diet Coke in the other.

He still looked better than he did six weeks ago at the Greater Vancouver Open.

That's when Daly, a recovering alcoholic, suffered a breakdown that caused him to cry and shake uncontrollably. He wore two jackets, despite a temperature in the mid-80s, yet finished his round.

But the incident forced him to take a break. He played in the Dunhill Cup in St. Andrews, Scotland, last week, but Wednesday marked his return to the PGA Tour.

Daly, relaxed and pleasant, demonstrated the raw power that has defined his career and a controlled short game to shoot a 4-under-par 68. His score placed him in an 18-way tie for 24th, three shots behind first-day leaders Mark Calcavecchia and Robert Damron.

"It's nice therapy," Daly said of playing again. "I can't really say I couldn't be happier with today, but it's a nice feeling.

"I feel fresh right now."

Brian Alexander has witnessed Daly's struggles first-hand as his caddy for two years. He totes a bag that bears the guiding words of Alcoholics Anonymous: "God, Serenity, Courage, Wisdom."

Alexander sees an invigorated Daly, but he claimed the 32-year-old golfer cannot afford to consider himself exorcised of his demons. Daly also missed major portions of the 1997 season because of his recovery.

"The same thing had happened before," Alexander said of the breakdown, "but by far that was the worst that's happened on the golf course. But it's something he goes through. He'll probably go through it again.

"But he's a little more settled down on the golf course after taking that month off."

Daly smoked nearly a pack of cigarettes throughout his round. But his supportive gallery of around 70, who followed him from his 8:30 a.m. tee time, exhaled with oohs and aahs when Long John smoked his trademark 300-yard drives.

Wearing a Callaway Golf cap that read "Keep it straight, John," Daly parred his first three holes before scoring back-to-back birdies on Nos. 4 and 5. He followed with three more pars and then came an inch away from closing out the front 9 with an eagle. He got the birdie and carded a 33 at the turn.

Daly birdied No. 10 and completed his round with eight straight pars.

"I'm happy," Daly said. "It was a good solid round. I'm usually used to only 10 greens a round, not 18."

Daly was tracked by a television crew from HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel." The magazine show is documenting Daly's continued struggle with alcoholism, using the LVI as a comparison to his woes in Vancouver. The episode featuring Daly is scheduled to air Nov. 17.

Gumbel interviewed him at length Tuesday night, and they talked at times on the front 9. Gumbel claimed Daly entered the LVI with focus.

"John's brutally honest," Gumbel said. "He's relaxed. Like a lot of recovering alcoholics, he's content. But he's not making any bets for tomorrow."

Daly was scheduled to tee off in the second round today at Las Vegas Country Club.

archive