Notes from on site at the Shell Houston Open:
At the Shell Houson Open, John Daly is working hard. Hard enough that he needed a trainer to massage his back and uh er chest at :08 in the video link above.
I heard he spent six hours practicing on Sunday, before official practice rounds started. He showed up early before playing in the pro-am on Monday, and then practiced three hours after the round. Yesterday, he was practicing before I got to the range, and was there for at least four hours in the on and off rain showers.
Those who have seen him through the years at the SHO said it is the most they have ever seen him work, and the earliest they have seen him at the course
The practicing and pro-am habits of a PGA golfer shouldn't be news, but it is with Daly. Recently, in a 48 hour period, he got dumped publicly by his instructor Butch Harmon and was disqualified from the Arnold Palmer Invitational for missing his pro-am tee time. I guess Daly is trying to make amends one day at a time, and I figure it was worth mentioning the mundane details of the work he is doing.
People wonder why tournament directors keep giving him sponsor exemptions despite his repeated problems, and if you are at the course it is easy to see why.
Other than Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, John Daly is probably the most recognizable and hounded players on the tour. And despite (and maybe partially because of) his faults, people just love him.
They love him so much that out of the guys on the range yesterday, he had the most people trying to interrupt what he was doing to talk to him or ask for interviews. While he was hitting, he was all business. He did his work on the range, then he signed autographs before he left with a police escort that most of the other players did not need.
The SHO has been kind to Daly in the past. He is the 8th highest money winner in the tournament's history with a career $950,821 in earnings. His best result was in 2005, a playoff loss that he finished second. The Tournament Course that they are using now probably doesn't suit his game as much as the one that was used at the SHO in 2005.
Update on FanHouse:
Followup: About John Daly's Chest Massage.....
Search FanHouse
Hot Topics
Blog Roll
- Armchair GM
- Awful Announcing
- Ballhype
- Barstool Sports
- Baseball Musings
- Brahsome
- Can't Stop the Bleeding
- D.C. Sports Bog
- Dan Shanoff
- Dave's Football Blog
- Deadspin
- Deuce of Davenport
- Epic Carnival
- Every Day Should Be Saturday
- FanIQ
- Foul Balls
- Free Darko
- Hardball Times
- JoeSportsFan
- Kissing Suzy Kolber
- Ladies ...
- Larry Brown Sports
- Lion in Oil
- Mondesi's House
- Most Valuable Network
- Mr. Irrelevant
- Off Wing Opinion
- On 205th
- Quick Hits
- Randball
- Rumors and Rants
- SB Nation
- Sports By Brooks
- Sportz Assassin
- The 700 Level
- The Big Lead
- The Big Picture
- The Extrapolater
- The Feed
- The Ghost of Wayne Fontes
- The Offside
- The Sports Hernia
- The Starting Five
- True Hoop
- We Are the Postmen
- With Leather
- Yardbarker
John Daly Is Working Hard, Needs Chest Massage From Trainer With Huge Arms
Posted Apr 2nd 2008 9:48AM by Stephanie Stradley
Filed under: Houston, Golf, FanHouse TV, PGA
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Commented on Posts
- A-Rod and Madonna Seen in Public Together, OK! Magazine Connects the Dots (116)
- George Costanza's Worst Nightmare Comes to Life Thanks to Manny Ramirez (60)
- UFC 86 Classic Slugfest: Forrest Griffin Beats Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson (51)
- Surprise: Alex Rodriguez, Wife Separated (49)
- In Which Charles Barkley Calls the Media 'Jackasses' Because He Cannot Gamble (45)
Most Recent Comments
- mikebaggett on In Which Charles Barkley Calls the Media 'Jackasses' Because He Cannot Gamble
- sjt2115 on The Dugout: The Inevitable A-Rod/Madonna One
- Grer The Sarcastic Bastard on Alex Rodriguez Was Brainwashed by Madonna and Her Religous Cult, Naturally
- Mr.G on The Difference Between Adam 'Pacman' Jones and Willie Andrews? Talent
- BOB on Andrea Jaeger Admits to Taking a Dive at '83 Wimbledon Final Against Martina Navratilova
_thumbnail.jpg "NASCAR Cowboy Hats")
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. "I've got nipples. Can you milk me?"
Posted at 3:49PM on Apr 2nd 2008 by Otis
2. One complete tournament preparation by Daly will not make up for the drunken carousing and mispending of talent, poor decision making, dumb relationships with women/wives that have marked this fat hill billy's career. He has had more chances than state lottery and still has managed to destroy his career and those people around him who have tried to help.
Posted at 10:29PM on Apr 2nd 2008 by bigflyer
3. John has a lot of work to do and some fence's to mend. But he is still one of the guys that you want to watch and do good.
Posted at 3:52PM on Apr 3rd 2008 by Larry King
4. wonder if he pays extra for the "happy ending"
Posted at 3:54PM on Apr 3rd 2008 by ruusta
5. YOU GOTTA LOVE THE GUY. HE'S A REAL PERSON. NOT A PHONEY,NOT A LYING BUTT-KISSER AND HE'S BEEN COMPETETIVE WHILE DRINKING,SMOKING AND EATING HOT DOGS FROM THE VENDORS ALONG THE TOUR.IMAGINE HOW GOOD HE WOULD BE IF HE DID ALL THE RIGHT THINGS? GOOD FOR YOU JOHN....
Posted at 3:54PM on Apr 3rd 2008 by COP
6. John Daly is a trip and a good time, despite all the whiner crap people like "bigflyer" write. Why don't people like you spend more time at which ever group it is you go to to cry.
Posted at 8:22PM on Apr 3rd 2008 by Patrick Gallagher
7. John Daly is a trip and a good time, depite the kind of whiner crap people like "bigflyer" write. Bigwhiner should spend more time at which ever group he attends to cry and less boring us real people.
Posted at 9:03PM on Apr 3rd 2008 by Patrick Gallagher
8. That wasn't a massage, it was a man-breast exam, and Daly is just being vigilant--remember, early detection is the key to the cure. Word is that Mickelson and Monty are next.
Posted at 1:07AM on Apr 4th 2008 by ventures360
9. Hopefully, the man is trying to recover from some of the bad press. Sure, he has brought a lot of this on himself but we all have problems and if he is willing to try and work on them and show he has - give him credit. If he continues with the drinking barrage problems - it will eventually do him in - mark my words - it won't be long if he continues with the drinking - he won't be a force to reckon with soon - Let's all hope that this doesn't happen.
Posted at 8:06AM on Apr 4th 2008 by Jud Kastner
10. I believe John will turn it around.
Try John's Golf Shop for the Best prices in the golf Industry. Call toll free: 866-817-5466
Posted at 9:04AM on Apr 4th 2008 by greg
11. For over ten years John has been trying to turn it around. He has had the support of some of the top people in the golfing business and still he continues to live a life style that rock stars live. He is a drunk and has been for a very long time. He has rehabed so many times i could retire on the money he spent on rehabing. He does not want to stop drinking and partying. That's why Butch Harmen let him go, and Butch said untill John wants to get serious about golf and get real help to stop drinking and partying he will never help him again. I do not feel sorry for John like so many people do, he lives off the sympathy of people, he loves it and untill people stop feeling sorry for his drinking problems he brings on himself he will never seek real help. Maybe he does not want real help to begin with, a lot of drunks just want to be drunks.
Posted at 9:06AM on Apr 4th 2008 by steven ashcraft
12. Nothing like a good titty twister to start off your round.
Posted at 7:21PM on Apr 10th 2008 by The iggy no one wants