John Daly's Role in Golf

Filed in archive Golf Wanderings on March 15, 2008

Why do we have such a fascination with John Daly?

He's made golf news headlines again with his antics at the recent PODS Championship, antics that involved drinking at the Hooter's hospitality bar, getting the coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to caddy for him, having his world-famous coach, Butch Harmon, give up on him and signing one woman's butt in the Hooter's all-you -can-drink-while-hollering-at-pro-golfers free-for-all.

That one autograph got blown out of proportion in the media and quickly became the red neck world's equivalent of a book signing.

You can divide the ink on J.D. into two neat camps: those who think he's a real character who gives golf "color" and those who think it's just a terrible shame that he's wasting all that talent, not to mention his health.



The latest story from the latter category comes from AP sports writer, Tim Dahlberg, who laments the fact that Daly will miss another Masters next month because he has no invitation.

"Indeed, just imagine what Daly might have done had he put even half the preparation into a tournament that Woods does. Imagine how many major championships he might now have had he not squandered his talent because it's more fun to drink and hang out with buxom blondes than it is to spend hours on the driving range", he writes.

Fair comment. In fact, as Dahlberg points out, Daly seems incapable of taking responsibility for his actions. JD wasn't so upset that Harmon had packed him in as he was that Harmon hadn't told him personally before telling the media.

Perhaps Daly had simply been having too much fun to stay in touch with Harmon.

The point is Daly doesn't take responsibility for his life. The guy has kids and four broken marriages and he still lives his life like he's a single guy with no worries.

But I wonder if we want John Daly to change. Wouldn't we like him to stay just the way he is so that we can continue to write about how sad it is and what a shame it is that he is throwing his life away?

If Daly cleaned up his act tomorrow and started to win, I'll bet we'd all be yearning - just a little - for the old John Daly, the guy who says "screw it, I'm putting it all on 32 red".

Daly is acting out a role in a Greek tragedy; he's the anti-Tiger, as Dahlberg calls him.

In Greek tragedies, the roles are clearly defined. And they don't change.