Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 25, 1995 TAG: 9507250084
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAVE SHEININ Dave Sheinin is a sports columnist for the Miami
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Costantino Rocca's prayer - a 65-foot putt on the final hole - was answered. And Daly, interrupted in mid-hug with his wife, silently grabbed his putter and headed to the practice green.
After 72 holes of golf, he had defeated everyone in the field but two people - Rocca and himself. And which of the two do you think he was most worried about?
The answer is easy. Daly has always been his own worst enemy, his penchant for self-destruction well-documented. How many times has the ``this is a new John Daly'' story been written? And how many times had he turned around and made them false?
``I've had some trouble dealing with some things off the course,'' said Daly, clutching the champion's Claret Jug in his hands Sunday night. ``The drinking had something to do with that. I'm happy just to be playing the tour after some of the things I've done.''
Those things include picking up his ball and quitting in the middle of a tournament, firing a drive over the heads of spectators at a charity tournament and telling a British tabloid that some PGA Tour members use hard drugs.
And remember how, one year ago almost to the day, Daly had given up on himself in this same golf tournament, slapping his ball around Turnberry like he was playing field hockey?
But Daly kept himself together this week, through a potentially spirit-crushing double-bogey late in Saturday's third round and through the four-hole playoff with Rocca, which Daly won not so much by defeating the Italian champion, but by conquering his own demons.
And now, here he was, chosen by the invisible keepers of golf's spirit to join the list of past Open champions at St. Andrews. Read them off the Claret Jug: Jones, Snead, Nicklaus, Ballesteros, Faldo ... and Daly.
Daly? Is he worthy of joining those names? The answer is: We'll see.
But like him or hate him, Daly has put himself in exclusive company. With his second major title - following his 1991 PGA Championship - Daly becomes the first person to win two majors before turning 30 since Seve Ballesteros. The last before that was Tom Watson, and before that Jack Nicklaus.
Daly never was a lock to be alive at 30, let alone a winner of two majors. He was a drunk. And when he gave up drinking three years ago, he began smoking five packs a day. He also can wolf down five chocolate croissants - as he did Saturday night before the final round - in a matter of minutes.
In May, his face appeared in an advertisement for a Memphis casino. He had won $100,000 playing a $100 slot machine on a riverboat casino.
``It's not out of control,'' Daly insisted. ``Yes, I gamble. I gamble for fun. I'm not going to quit.''
Daly has bad habits. He also has immense talent and fan appeal. Who ever thought we'd see the day when cries of ``You the man!'' went up over the rolling hills of the Old Course?
Old Tom Morris, the St. Andrews lad who won four Opens between 1861 and 1867, must have been turning in his seaside grave when Daly faced the crowd at the trophy presentation and said: ``What the hell do you want me to say?''
One day, Daly may be as adored on the Auld Sod as Watson, who has won five British Opens. Or as revered as Ballesteros and Arnold Palmer, with whom Daly shares a certain reckless abandon.
In the meantime, he must work on his victory speech.
Keywords:
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by CNB