John Daly's suspension on the PGA Tour is over, and the two-time major champion plans to return in three weeks for the St. Jude Championship and U.S. Open qualifying. Daly was suspended for six months in November after a series of off-course incidents that brought negative publicity, the most recent a photo of him in an orange jail suit with his eyes half-closed after being locked up overnight in North Carolina to get sober. Other such incidents include:
- Using former Tampa Bay Bucs coach Jon Gruden as his caddie following a rain delay at Innisbrook.
- While promoting a golf course in Missouri, he did a regional television interview wearing only blue jeans, no shirt, and no shoes.
- Revving up the fans at the Buick Open by using a beer can as a tee during the pro-am while playing with Kid Rock.
- Spending a night in jail in North Carolina to get sober, and the subsequent jail photo that became an Internet sensation.
Daly has since been playing in Europe where he finished second at the Italian Open; he’s entered eight tournaments overseas so far and is ranked 94th. Daly has changed his life around getting fit and healthy. He had lap-band surgery on his stomach in February to restrict his eating, and says he already has lost 50 pounds in three months. "What I'm eating in one week is what I used to eat in one day," he said of his 1,200-calorie per day intake. He also says he has not been drinking as much as before, and only sips when he does.
His agent at SFX Sports, Bud Martin, said Daly, "He's been working on his game, working on trying to get his life together off the course," Martin said Monday. He's had some signs of some good golf in Europe, and from talking to him on the telephone, I would say he sounds as good and as optimistic and is in as good of a place as I heard from him in 20 years.
His new look clothing has gotten a lot of attention from fans and media. He signed a clothing deal with Sonoma, Calif.-based Loudmouth Golf, wearing trousers with wild and colorful prints, some of them looking like pajamas. Daly wore hot pink Sunday at Wentworth to pay tribute to Phil Mickelson's wife being diagnosed with breast cancer. "I love the reaction I've gotten from the media and the fans in the U.K.," he said. "It's been a lot of fun."
It’s uncertain how many times he can play on the PGA Tour, but he’s asked for exemptions to just about every PGA Tour event. His main focus right now is the “Race for Dubai” which only the Top 70 European players are eligible for.
I hope Daly does well in his return to the PGA Tour, his fans love him and i want to see him get back to his winning ways. All the best John.
Stay tuned to Point-Spreads.com to get the full betting odds on John Daly at the St. Jude Championship.
