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NOW ON GOLFWEEK TV: Hate to be Rude: Arron Oberholser
Jeff Rude’s “I Hate To Be Rude” column appears on Golfweek.com on Friday, the same day as his video show of the same name.
ORLANDO, Fla. – Pop quiz: Which four words would give PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem more of a headache?
1. John Daly is drunk.
2. Leonard Decof is here.
3. Buick just pulled out.
4. Tiger Woods is _______. Several inserted words could prompt a migraine: hurt, peeved and retiring come right to mind.
Well, Decof, a lawyer who has long been a nail in the Tour’s heel, isn’t bearing down on Camp Ponte Vedra at the moment, other than on an internet rights issue and as adviser to various players. Buick remains a model sponsor, and Finchem just needs to ride Woods, the world’s most dominant athlete, not worry about him.
So that leaves the big topic at hand: Daly and his undisciplined ways.
Daly is a likable, big-hearted character. He’s good for golf as probably it’s top drawing card after Woods and Phil Mickelson. Fans love him and relate to his struggles. But in the past week, J.D. has added to a resume that could be summed up not by a country song, but by a 30-disc set of them.
In a span of seven days, Daly served up something of an Animal House decathlon:
• He used an NFL coach, Tampa Bay’s Jon Gruden, as a fill-in caddie for the PODS Championship after spending a rain delay in a Hooter’s hospitality tent. In other words, he degraded the high-stakes competition after receiving the favor of a sponsor’s invitation. I’m fairly certain we’ll never see Bill Belichick carrying Woods’ bag inside Tour ropes. I’m also thinking Gruden might get whacked on the spot if he let Daly call plays or place-kick in a game.
• After he shot 78-80 and for the seventh time this year failed to better 60th place, Daly drank heavily in the Hooter’s tent last Saturday, playfully flipped off a photographer and watched as a pal mooned the snapper. That’s not the best scene for an alcoholic who has been to a couple of rehab centers and, according to a close friend, has ramped up his boozing the last year.
• Was called a “drunk” and fired by swing coach Butch Harmon Tuesday of this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. The famed instructor told the Associated Press that Daly “has to show me golf is the most important thing in his life. And the most important thing in his life is getting drunk.”
Give Harmon, who once overcame some bottle problems himself, credit for refusing to enable a 41-year-old friend with drinking issues.
• Missed his pro-am tee time Wednesday morning at Bay Hill, thereby earning a disqualification from another tournament that granted him the favor of a sponsor exemption. Daly apologized for letting down Palmer, the man who has done more for touring pros than anyone this side of Woods, and blamed the whiff on a misunderstanding. He said he was given his Thursday first-round time when he called in for pro-am information.
None of this, of course, surprises anyone. We’ve long been numb to Daly and his antics. He has blazed a trail littered by four divorce filings, the two rehabs, a couple of Tour suspensions, multiple hotel rooms trashed, untold millions in gambling losses and too many bottles shattered, promises broken, red lights run, pounds gained and times giving up during a round. And minds blown. Just in the past year he sued the insurance company of the Honda Classic and then asked for a sponsor exemption.
At some point, fun stops being funny. In Daly’s case, he’s on another extended warranty. As he told a reporter early this year, “My life is unbecoming as a professional.”
What to make of the latest? He appears on another of his downward spirals. We’ve seen this movie before. And the ending tends to be sad when an alcoholic medicates himself with the wrong medicine. I don’t know if Daly deserves to be suspended because I don’t have all the facts; the Tour needs to gather evidence and decide what’s best. But while it’s unclear whether he needs to be disciplined, it’s certain he needs discipline. The lack of it has always been his problem. He’s stuck in stunted adolescence. He takes too much for granted. His willpower is weak. He casts too much blame elsewhere.
It seems certain that what Wild Thing needs most is help. John Daly has wasted a lot of his talent, but he need not waste his life. No one wants to see that. Everyone wants to see him flourish. He can start by helping himself. Four ideas come to mind:
• Stop drinking.
• Accept responsibility.
• Be accountable.
• Shape up ... yes, in a couple of ways.
That’s all part of being an adult.
Posted: 3/13/2008
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