John Daly Finds the Magic Again at St. Andrews, Fires a 66

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- Just when you thought John Daly had run out of ways to make himself relevant, he shoots 6-under par 66 Thursday to start the British Open.

"It's a good feeling," he said.

There has not been a lot of feel-good in Daly's life in quite some time -- maybe not since his 1995 British Open victory right here at St. Andrews.

For many of the 15 years since, Daly's game has been bad and the novelty act that is his identity wore thin. Even the circus can have too many clown acts and not enough popcorn.

"I've never run from my mistakes," he said.

Actually, he wore them like a perverse badge of honor, attracting a yee-hawing fan following of enablers. But to his credit, Daly's recent track record shows signs of moving beyond days when he seemed to relish an image built on bad marriages (four and holding), public drunkenness, gambling issues and the lack of respect for the sport he plays.

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"I'm 44 years old," he said. "I've learned a lot. I'm on a comeback."

He was reminded that the British press used to call him "Wild Thing." So now what should they call him?

"Oh, I don't know," Daly answered. "How about Mild Thing."

Or maybe not. Daly showed Thursday appearing far more Thing than Mild. Dressed in purple paisley paints, a pink shirt, a baby-blue sweater vest and a turquoise cap, Daly looked like a box of Crayola Crayons had thrown up on him.



Share "All of these pants," Daly said of the clothing line he now represents, "the good thing about them is you can get dressed in the dark. Any shirt is going to match."

Daly obviously was enjoying the moment. He shot a front-nine 31 and had birdied Nos. 10 and 11 to get to 7 under. A bogey at 17 was the only blemish on his card. Finishing 6 under, he's right at the top of the leaderboard.

And it was vintage Daly, long-balling the Old Course into submission.

"I mean, for me the way I hit my driver today, I had so many opportunities," he said. "I could fly a lot of those bunkers and had a lot of wedges in there. It was just a good solid round."

Playing partner Andrew Coltart, who shot a 66 of his own, provided confirmation.

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• No Better Than St. Andrews "Yeah, John looks in great form," Coltart said. "He was driving it great and looked very, very calm and composed. He could easily have been better."

It all makes for a sympathetic tale. Daly has not won since 1996. Plagued for the past three years by a shoulder injury, he has lost full-time playing privileges on the PGA Tour. He (apparently) is so burdened with money problems that he often tweets about signing merchandise for cash. He has fought weight problems, and after undergoing lap-band surgery to lose 100 pounds, has changed his diet.

Now he returns to St. Andrews and suddenly finds magic.

"It's just a great course that I just love," he said. "It's just a golf course that not only brings great memories, but it's a memory before you've even played because of all the great players that have won and played here. It's just a special place."

Somewhere about now, violins should begin to play and the foggy skies over St. Andrews should be parted by a ray of sunshine.

Except, that Daly is still Daly.

He didn't have to talk about the lawsuit he filed earlier this year, asking for $100 million from a children's charity, among other defendants, for a 2007 injury he alleges occurred during the Honda Classic played in South Florida.

The claim is that the actions of a woman in the gallery caused him to attempt to stop in mid-swing and suffer injured ribs.

"You know, something great could happen this week. When you have so many ups and downs in life, it makes it so much more gratifying when you do something special.''
-- john daly "(Daly) suffered bodily injury and resulting pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, mental anguish, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, medical treatment, loss of earnings (and) loss of ability to earn money," the lawsuit reads.

So he sues the tournament charity? Isn't that a lot like strong-arming a grandmother?

Nor did Daly mention his childish act of retaliation earlier this year after a newspaper in Jacksonville, Fla., reported on his 456-page personal file in the PGA Tour office.

As a result of a libel suit against the newspaper that Daly initiated -- and saw thrown out of court -- the paper learned that the golfer on seven different occasions had been ordered to undergo counseling or enter alcohol rehabilitation centers, and has been cited 21 times for "failure to give best efforts" during tournament play.

Daly's response was to tweet the reporter's phone number, asking supporters to make harassing calls.

But a 6-under 66 changed everything. Daly is again dandy. Long John is longing for lost love.

"I don't know if it's motivation for fans or if it's helping them," Daly said, explaining his cult following. "Whatever it is, as long as it's a positive, to me that's all that matters.

"You know, something great could happen this week. When you have so many ups and downs in life, it makes it so much more gratifying when you do something special."

Imagine if it was something more than self-serving.