Sports Q&A: Daly Drinking and Driving

Evan from Bardstown, KY writes, "Golfer John Daly was disqualified for missing his tee time at the pro-am of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, one day after former swing coach Butch Harmon publicly challenged Daly's commitment to golf over drinking. Are Daly's days as a legitimate PGA contender over?"

First of all, Daly is a golfer and a drinker. Can't he be both? Only the evil mind of Butch Harmon would demand a student make such a monumental choice. We all know Harmon ran off Tiger Woods, probably when he gave Woods the same ultimatum. Woods chose golf, wisely. Or did he? Tiger may be the greatest golfer of all-time, but who's to say he couldn't have been an even better drinker? Daly is a unique talent, having mastered both disciplines, golfing and drinking, and different points in his career.

Often, in cases like this, the mastery of both talents don't overlap. Daly won his two major titles (the 1991 PGA Championship and 1995 British Open) early in his career. But he didn't become a raging alcoholic until much later. In his major-winning days, Daly didn't let alcohol interfere with his golf. Why should we have a problem if he now doesn't allow his golf to interfere with his alcohol? If Daly wants to be the sole and founding member of the PGAA, I say more power to him for his commitment to world-class talent in two fields.

Let's face it. Daly's probably not going to win another major. But he's going to drink a lot more. And, nowadays, he's known more for his drinking than his golf. It seems to me the choice has been made. He chose drinking. If golf has a problem with that, then they should stop offering Daly sponsor exemptions to play in tournaments, and sponsors should stop offering him money to wear/use their products.

Daly is still a huge draw at tournaments, and not because fans expect to see him shoot a 65. Not that Daly can't shoot a 65. He can, usually in just 13 holes. Fans like watching Daly because he can still blast a 320-yard drive, and he's not afraid to go for that island green on the par 4 with his drive, which is a sensible option when you're 11-over after eight holes, which Daly often is. That's a position in which the everyday golfer often finds himself. The scratch golfer can relate to Daly. The scratch golfer sees himself in Daly. In fact, you could probably see two scratch golfers in Daly. But let's not make weight an issue. Daly already has enough problems on his plate.

Daly is still one of the most popular golfers on the tour, and part of the reason, sadly, is that he is an alcoholic. I'm not saying people watch Daly to see him drink a beer after a round, but there is some appeal to his unpredictability, which is probably 100% a result of his alcohol problems. Daly's made a habit of pulling stunts on the golf course that are, at times, both comical and tragic.

Daly's latest incident took place at the PODS Championship, in which he waited out a rain delay during the first round in a Hooters corporate tent behind the 17th green. When play resumed, Daly called on Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach John Gruden to caddy for the remainder of the round. Hey, I don't know about you, but the Hooters corporate tent in a rain delay is where legends are made. And what better place to tout your Max-Fli sponsorship than in the presence of a throng of Hooters beauties. Having a Super Bowl-winning head coach as your caddy is pretty cool, too. And who on earth actually goes into the Hooters tent at a golf tournament to stay "dry?" Certainly not John Daly.

Since when does Hooters actually need a tent to keep you dry during a rain delay, anyway? Harmon accused Gruden's caddying of making a "circus" out of the event. To that, I say, "Who doesn't love a circus?" Everyone knows the corporate tents behind the 17th green at practically any tournament advertises a circus-like atmosphere, so why not send in the clowns.

I don't mean to minimize the severity of Daly's problems, but he's aware of them, and he has made his choice. At least for now. Let's not condemn him for living the life he chooses. Sure, he may pay for it with a shortened longevity, but what's a few years when the entertainment of the fans in priority one? Fans like Daly for who he is, and he's obviously comfortable with his station in life. The road to recovery is a long and arduous journey, but there's only a mere 12 steps from the 18th green to the 19th hole. Daly may be over par on the course, but as a non-teetotaler, he'll always be "one under bar."

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