Par Report: The Daly Grind

The Daly Grind
Shark.com Staff
November 13, 2006

Last week was a microcosm of John Daly's year, which is to say things didn't go very well. Daly's week started with it becoming public kowledge that his fourth wife filed for divorce and it ended with he and partner J.B. Holmes losing a final-round lead and finishing tied for sixth at Greg Norman's Merrill Lynch Shootout at Tiburón Golf Club in Naples.

Daly was poised to finally end the year on a positive note -- until he and Holmes struggled to a 64 in Sunday's scramble format, the highest score of the final round, leaving them four shots out of a playoff won by Jerry Kelly and Rod Pampling.

And so it has gone for Daly, a two-time major champion who has had just one top-25 finish this year in 21 starts while falling to a career-worst 193rd on the PGA Tour's money list. That means Daly won't be fully exempt on the PGA Tour next year, the first time that's happened since he shocked the world by winning the 1991 PGA Championship as the ninth alternate.

"It has been one of those years that nothing has gone right," Daly said.

That's putting it mildly.

His wife, Sherrie Miller Daly, served a five-month federal sentence this year involving finances from an alleged drug and gambling ring after she and her other members of her family were indicted three years ago. Four months after getting out of prison, she apparently wants to get out of their marriage after she filed for divorce Oct. 17. (Daly filed his petition for divorce a day later, although he said there's a chance for a reconciliation.)

"It is just something that is kind of on hold right now," Daly said of a possible divorce. "I am kind of just keeping that personal stuff to myself."

Daly refused to blame his marital problems for his struggles. He said his performance has had more to do with a litany of injuries to his hip, back and pinky. He joked after he and Holmes led after two rounds that this was the first time in a while he could remember holding the club with both hands.

"I think the injuries is what really hurt me this year," Daly said. "Not being able to play in a lot of tournaments that I really wanted to play in, having to withdraw from a lot of tournaments that I love to play in, tournaments that I usually do halfway decent in.

"It's not like I'm a football player. A football player can tape it up and keep on going. In golf, you need every part of your body and when something goes wrong, it is very difficult to play. So it has just been one of those years that has been a wake-up call."

Despite his lack of full-exempt status, Daly, 40, is not going back to Qualifying School to improve his position. That's quite a gamble -- nothing new to Daly -- considering the PGA Tour is unveiling its FedEx Cup next season, where the winner receives $10 million.

Part of Daly's decision to skip Q-School is pride, the other is understanding he's such a draw that tournaments will give him enough sponsor's exemptions to give him a shot at a full schedule. He has already received a sponsor's exemption into next year's Nissan Open at Riviera near Los Angeles.

"I have put in a lot of time on the tour," Daly said. "I have been faithful to a lot of the tournaments. I have played in tournaments the tour had asked me to play in because they kind of needed me to play in. So I hope a lot of sponsors out there will kind of give me some sponsors exemptions. It is a tough situation to be in, but it is just going to make me work harder and hopefully play better."

Daly, whose last win came at the 2004 Buick Championship, continues to make more headlines with his off-the-course drama than his ability to hit the call 350 yards. Daly has never shied away from his past problems -- he wrote an autobiography this year, "My Life In & Out of the Rough" where he went into great detail about his gambling and drinking addictions, and he devoted one chapter to his three ex-wives that was titled, "All My Exes Wear Rolexes."

Daly said he has no regrets about writing the book or the sometimes lurid information he put in it.

"The book was from the heart," Daly said. "I think people realize that growing up with different lifestyles... it is just tough on some people. And to talk about it, I think a lot of people will relate to what I have been through in my life. When things are good, it does not mean it is always good.

"I have been through hell and I have made a lot of mistakes that I take full responsibility to. I have had some bad people in my life that I have luckily gotten rid of most of them. I have learned over the years that you just cannot trust everybody and move on."

That's one thing Daly would like to do with his 2006 season. Just move on.

"Next year is just going to be a great year," he said. "I have just got a really good feeling."

The Par Report is posted every Monday on Shark.com. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Greg Norman.