John Daly has won two major championships in his golfing career. He won the 1991 PGA Championship and the 1995 Open Championship at St. Andrews.
Big John has also struggled with a long list of personal problems including broken marriages, as well as, alcohol and prescription medicine abuse. He has seemingly got his act together and is having his best year for a long time.
He is currently just outside the top-125 on the PGA Tour money list. With three events to go in 2012 he could earn enough to be totally exempt for 2013. Being exempt would mean he no longer has to rely on sponsors exemptions to get into PGA Tour events.
It looked like he was going to move well inside the top-125 after Friday’s second round at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas. Daly had posted 69-63 through the first two rounds and was in sight of the leaders. Two respectable rounds on the weekend and he would collect enough of the purse to secure his tour card for next year.
That’s when disaster struck. John shot a terrible 15-over par 86 on Saturday. The pressure of finally being among the leaders and pressing to earn the big check caught up to him. He finished with a 77 on Sunday and finished dead last in the field. He collected a check but his poor finish actually moved him down in the rankings.
The problem is that John is now 46 years old and hasn’t really been on the Gary Player physical fitness program. He has lost a ton of weight and is looking better than he has for years, even with the Loudmouth attire.
He is trying to wring every last dollar possible out of his golf clubs before his body refuses to allow him to compete on the world golf stage.
America loves a good comeback story. John Daly has had a couple of them already.
Does he have one more left?