John Daly quits Australian Open

I've never been a fan of John Daly, i have always been surprised by his popularity given some of his previous behaviour. By all the accounts i have read, this incident boils down to one thing: childish petulance. Good to see the Australian PGA taking (what sounds like) a hard line.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/john-daly-storms-out-of-australian-open/story-e6frg7mf-1226191626387

I read about this on the Beeb. He claims to have run out of balls. The tournament director thinks he should have contacted and official to have his stock replenished, I didn't think this was allowed.

I didnt think that was allowed either. Remember Tin Cup?

I used to quite like Daly but he really is a tool. Good to see the Australian golfing bodies having some balls and telling him where to take his behaviour. If the Pga tour and ET did the same he might actually realise he needs to change his attitude.

"Obviously he's a major winner; we need to pay him some respect too”.

Hopefully they didn't pay him some appearance cash too..?

I used to like Daly as I think he brought some colour to the political correctness of golf. But now I'm sick and tired of him and I hope the European Tour also stops inviting him. His time is over - young talents can use his spot.

Lairdy wrote:Good to see the Australian golfing bodies having some balls....

Daly lost his apparantly...

Daley seems to be one of those people who through past exploits, get freebies into top events. He's had plenty of problems over the years in Australia, and think he just uses it as a holiday for his latest squeeze and his kids. A long way to go for no guarantee of any decent winnings, so he must be on appearance money, so more fool the Ausies for inviting him.

Daley would probably have been in jail or worse, if he hadn't have won his first major. He's obviously got some talent somewhere, but completley the wrong personality for a top sportsman. I would like to bet that the brass at HQ were not too pleased when he hit the big time, because it was well known he had major problems in his private life, even before his first wife tried to kill him. The PGA though do like to see the odd extrovert on tour, and Daley fits that bill, 'wild thing' was good watch when he was battering the ball a mile, but he's not as long as the big boys these days, and should have retired gracefully a while ago, but grace and Daley don't fit

Didn't think he'd be allowed to replenish his balls on the course, how wrong does that sound.

But seriously somthing needs to be done to address Daly and his lack of respect for tournaments.

Interesting fact tweeted by Jason Sobel

Fact: Since 2000 John Daly has posted a total of 27 withdrawals from PGA tour sanctioned events, and in that time has 15 top 10 finishes

So he pulls out more mid tournament than he finishes in decent position, seems like a case of things aren't going my way lets throw my toys out of my pram.

Refering back to the twittersphere or in Daly's case the Muppet he himself post this

When you run u run out ofballs u run out of balls.yes i shook my player's partners hands and signed my card w/rules official

So in Johns book that makes it ok...

Who does he think he is Roy McEvoy

Pedro, I think they have withdrawn the offers for appearance money for this week and the Aussie PGA. Quite right too if he doesnt fulfill his part of the bargain.

Mav, unlike Daly Roy always plays better when he's wasted.

The more he courts controversy, the more he's going be embroiled in ugly incidents. I saw him at Wentworth a couple of years ago, and there were people in the crowd yelling at him and goading him (for example on the 17th, there were a bunch of blokes shouting 'do you have the balls to hit it over the corner?'). To his credit, he ignored them, but I imagine if he's several over par - like was in Australia - then he might not.

I tend to agree that his days are behind him, and whilst he can be an amusing sideshow, you are taking a big risk when you invite him to your tournament.

Can anyone confirm the rules regarding a situation where a player runs out of balls in their bag during a round in a pro event? I know they must use exactly the same spec of ball when they change a ball but can they get restocked like the tournament director suggested?

If so it would be a long wait and could potentially result in the group going on the clock and potentially playing partners could start to get penalties. Unlikely I know to get a slow play penalty in reality but may be a reason a rule would exist to prohibit the restocking of balls mid round.

I just think it is better to establish the facts before we start pilling the criticisms on Daly, although I suspect he may have quit either way. His past record only confirming this thought, 27 withdrawals???. You would have to conclude it is harsh he has been banned from future events if he had no other options than to quit.

I am not even sure what the rule is for giving playing partners balls in a club medal but I have lent balls to people who have run out without even considering a rules implication.

Even if you do have to quit when out of balls (i think this is correct), it still sounds as if he hit them all into the lake on purpose no? Why else would you hit 7 shots into the lake?!

If that's what he's done then too right he shouldn't be invited again

MustPuttBetter wrote:Even if you do have to quit when out of balls (i think this is correct), it still sounds as if he hit them all into the lake on purpose no? Why else would you hit 7 shots into the lake?!

If that's what he's done then too right he shouldn't be invited again

Exactly the point what is a professional doing taking on the same shot each time sticking the ball in the drink...... He knows the rules and he has done this no-one else

Hmm, didn't think of tha angle but think it only highlights the issue of players playing for appearance fee's with little motivation to finish higher for the better prize money.

Does it really matter if he quits anyway, it is not like he took someones place as clearly the tournament wnated a name and not a promising local.

He should have gone to a jumble sale for his balls eh Mac, He could have got a hundred Pinnacles for the price of a dozen pro v1's and never run out.

To be fair, if someone asked me to hit 7 shots into a lake from a fair distance i reckon i'd miss with at least one of them - so from that angle he's done quite well and merits the appearance fee maybe?

Provided that a player doesn't unduly hold up play (6.7), he can borrow or take a ball from anyone - fellow competitor, passer by - anyone. The same with tees, or gloves - anything EXCEPT clubs. If you lose, smash or break all your clubs, you can't borrow or take more.

So the tournament people could have given him some more balls.

So if Roy McAvoy hadn't holed that last ball with his 2nd shot he was still in with a shout as he was in the final group and wouldn't have held anyone up whilst he popped to the pro shop??

George,

Although it doesn't make sense, I was always of the impression that if a pro runs out of balls during a hole he would have to WD(?)

I guess it's different for amateurs/handicappers under stableford rules, but for pro's there's no other way if you can't finish the hole?

Nevertheless, I agree that Daly most likely would have WD'ed anyway.

the tragic tale of a man with too much money and not enough sense. John Daly is, in my humble opinion (however many top golfers have shared this sentiment), one of the most naturally talented golfers of all time. Such a pity that- through lack of proper education, being raised with better values, not having good advisers around at a younger age, whatever factor you may wish to think of- this guy failed to reach his potential. He has descended so far in terms of behaviour that he is now seemingly a parody of himself.

pedro wrote:George,

Although it doesn't make sense, I was always of the impression that if a pro runs out of balls during a hole he would have to WD(?)

I guess it's different for amateurs/handicappers under stableford rules, but for pro's there's no other way if you can't finish the hole?

Nevertheless, I agree that Daly most likely would have WD'ed anyway.

http://www.usga.org/RulesFAQ/rules_answer.asp?FAQidx=14&Rule=5

In this case, John Daly could have borrowed a ball from his partner (provided it was the same type of ball he plays with) or got some more from the officials. For amateurs, if you run out of balls then normally you can borrow a ball from your partner.

"lack of proper education".
Well, he did attend the University Of Arkansas. Perhaps that's your point!

He's a bloody idiot but so are the media for making it their headline, starting with the bottom-surfing fool who edits the BBC On-Line offering.

kwinigolfer wrote:... the bottom-surfing fool who edits the BBC On-Line offering.

Is that a euphemism?

MustPuttBetter wrote:So if Roy McAvoy hadn't holed that last ball with his 2nd shot he was still in with a shout as he was in the final group and wouldn't have held anyone up whilst he popped to the pro shop??

That takes the gloss of that shot and film. Cheers...

If Daly ran you of balls he could have borrowed on from his playing partners or got more from the pro shop.. as I understand it you can borrow balls, tees, markers etc(and I regularly do) the only thing you can not share is golf clubs. The running out of balls in tin cup was just done for dramatic effect.

kwinigolfer wrote:"lack of proper education".
Well, he did attend the University Of Arkansas. Perhaps that's your point!

He's a bloody idiot but so are the media for making it their headline, starting with the bottom-surfing fool who edits the BBC On-Line offering.

By all accounts he spent a lot more time in the local Hooters than attending lectures!

jeffkenna wrote:the tragic tale of a man with too much money and not enough sense. John Daly is, in my humble opinion (however many top golfers have shared this sentiment), one of the most naturally talented golfers of all time. Such a pity that- through lack of proper education, being raised with better values, not having good advisers around at a younger age, whatever factor you may wish to think of- this guy failed to reach his potential. He has descended so far in terms of behaviour that he is now seemingly a parody of himself.

Id turn that one its head and say that he was seriously lucky that on the relatively few occasions he got his act together he managed to win a couple of majors.
If the guy wasnt born with the ability to hit a golf ball his potential would have been fulfilled sitting in a trailer somewhere in Arkansas, or he'd probably be dead by now.

Its a real shame that he seems to have this very destructive trait as he is an entertaining guy to watch even if I don't think that I would like to spend much time with him. You could argue not that he was lucky to get two majors but with his talent and a better head, he could have won more.

It is often missed about his game is that he is known for the long drives and the outrageous back swing but his short game and putting have been sublime too. He seems to have such soft hands when playing those shots.

I guess he's a Marmite guy but you can't deny that he draw crowds and the organisers are in the business of getting punters through the door. So for those of you that want to see the back of him, don't hold your breath.

http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/devil_ball_golf/post/Spanish-golfer-Rafael-Cabrera-Bello-is-Tin-Cup-d?urn=golf-297724

Thanks for the link Ned,

BTW I'm not sure if anyone's mentioned this - but I don't think Daly was paid any 'Appearance' albeit fleetingly, money for this event?

Couldn't help but notice the comments after the video and this made me chuckle:

"A big Texan stopped at a local restaurant following a day roaming around in Mexico.

While sipping his tequila, he noticed a sizzling, scrumptious looking platter being served at the next table. Not only did it look good, the smell was wonderful.

He asked the waiter, 'What is that you just served?'

The waiter replied, 'Ah senor, you have excellent taste! Those are called Cojones de Toro, bull's testicles from the bull fight this morning. A delicacy!'

The cowboy said, 'What the heck, bring me an order.'

The waiter replied, 'I am so sorry senor.There is only one serving per day because there is only one bull fight each morning. If you come early and place your order, we will be sure to save you this delicacy.'

The next morning, the cowboy returned, placed his order, and that evening was served the one and only special delicacy of the day. After a few bites, inspecting his platter, he called to the waiter and said, 'These are delicious, but they are much, much smaller than the ones I saw you serve yesterday.'

The waiter shrugged his shoulders and replied, 'Si, Senor, sometimes the bull wins'."

Nice one Yads!

Judging from the interview I saw last night with the Aussie Open Tournament Director, they're trying to get Daly blackballed (poor choice of words, Stevie) by the Aussie PGA and he's already had his invitation to the Aussie (what is it, Masters or PGA??) event following the Pres Cup. I imagine such gigs DO carry appearance fees. There's also a pro-am that Daly's booked for on Monday which they're trying to get him dq'd from.

Kwini I read this today:

Yes Daly is due to play in a tour-sanctioned charity pro-am in Melbourne tomorrow, don't think he's banned yet.

"Craig Parry, who played with Daly on Thursday, came to his defence afterwards and said he didn't blame Daly for quitting after running out of balls.
''I like John. I think when he comes out here he does try his best. He's a very pleasant guy. He doesn't carry on, doesn't swear,'' Parry said on Thursday. Two days later, Parry continued to defend Daly: ''He plays here for nothing and then we crucify a guy who brings a bit of colour and excitement to our tournaments.''

Daly also stated that it might not be a bad thing for him to be banned from Australia "I never play well there anyway" From what Parry says it suggests that Daly has not received any money to play but who knows what goes on in the background.

Australia banning people for committing misdemeanors; it used to be the other way round!