John Daly talked a lot about getting his life together, both inside and outside the ropes, as he prepared for this week’s Stadion Classic at UGA golf tournament. In the end, though, he still has some work to do with the golf part of the equation.
Daly withdrew from the second round of the annual Web.com Tour event Friday. He cited a shoulder injury. He was 5 over par for the tournament and 2 over for the day when he walked off the golf course after playing the ninth hole. He left without making comment, just as he did after shooting a 3-over first round.
Withdrawals are nothing new for Daly. He has withdrawn 36 times on the PGA Tour, and this was his third in 29 Web.com Tour events. He also has been disqualified seven times.
There’s no way of knowing the extent (or validity) of Daly’s injury, but he hasn’t played well this year. Including seven PGA Tour events, he has played in 10 tournaments, but has made the cut in only three. In those he has finished 50th, 53rd and 74th.
“It’s not about the money for me,” Daly said Wednesday. “It’s about playing good golf. The ultimate goal for me of course is to get back on the (PGA) tour. I just want to play.”
Daly hasn’t played well for a very long time. His last PGA Tour victory came in 2004 and, at this point, his two major championships (1991 PGA Championship, 1995 British Open) seem like ancient history.
Daly turned 47 on Sunday and is preparing for a transition to the Champions Tour (former known as seniors). But while his golf game still is a daily struggle, he indicated his personal life is better than ever. Daly has struggled with alcohol in the past, but said he has been sober for four years. And he has custody of his 9-year-old son, “Little John,” who travels with him in his RV.
“The sum of my career is a four-letter word, L-I-F-E. Life,” Daly said with a chuckle. “That about sums it up. Everybody goes through ups and downs through their life. It’s how we cope with them, how we deal with them. I’m not on the tour now full-status, but I feel like I’ve come an awful long way outside the ropes, so I’m pretty proud of what I’ve accomplished — not in golf, but in life.”
UGA players miss cut: UGA's Keith Mitchell and T.J. Mitchell both missed the cut by one stroke. The amateurs were playing on sponsor's exemptions that go annually to players with the lowest stroke average. Harris English and Russell Henley remain the only Bulldogs to make the cut as amateurs. Four other UGA graduates missed the cut, which was 1 over: Paul Claxton (3 over), Adam Mitchell (4 over), Richard Scott (4 over) and Scott Parel (8 over).
Etc.: Cameron Beckman was disqualified Friday for not turning in a scorecard or notifying the tournament of a withdrawal. He quit on No. 9, his 18th hole of the day and 36th of the tournament. He was 8 over at the time. … Gary Christian (wrist) also withdrew. … There were four eagles in the second round, bringing the two-day total to five. Three have come on par-4s. … Daniel Chopra had only 24 putts Friday and 50 through 36 holes. That's tied for best in the field with Tim Petrovic. … Co-leader Russell Knox is tied for first in fairways hit (89.3 percent) and third in greens in regulation (77.8 percent) through two rounds.
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