John Daly...Good for Golf?

After the 1st day of this year's last major golf championship otherwise known as the PGA Championship, an unlikely candidate to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy is lurking.  It is known that at least half of this blog's authoriship is a big fan of John Daly.  I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't like JD (setting aside his multiple ex-wives).  Sure you'd find people who thinks he wasted some serious talent and some who find him to be a pathetic figure...but you gotta like him and pull for him. 

I don't know John personally.  Like most people, I only know what the media reports.  So here is what I know of JD: he likes to gamble (often excessively), he likes Hooters (the restaurant silly!!), he chain smokes, he drinks Diet Coke like it's water, he's never seen a donut with or without a hole in it he doesn't like, he's walked off golf courses in the middle of the round, he hits the you-know-what out of the ball, he has incredible touch around the greens, he's over weight (duhhhh), he travels in an RV and parks it somewhere near the tournament site to be with the fans and hawk his gaudy "stuff", oh yeah...and he's won the Wanamaker Trophy already and he won the oldest golf championship on the oldest golf course in the world...the British Open.

What does all that mean?  I think it means he isn't the greatest role model but if you take away the excessive gambling, the chain smoking and if he lost a few pounds...he might not be too far away.  Okay, if he didn't have all those ex-wives too.  Also, I'd ground my 10 year old son for months if he walked off a golf course in the middle of a round.  But, I think JD is what he is.  He does what he wants and says what he says and basically lives his life.  I think he has regrets, but he doesn't look back.  I like that and it's not easy to live your life that way.  Too often people look back or are busy comparing themselves to someone else and they stall.  Not JD.  He plods forward no matter what. 

John Daly is good for golf.  Whether you agree or not, he is like more people in America than he is not.  He works hard to make a living and not necessarily on his golf game.  I'd even go so far as to say golf has become more of a hobby for John.  He's got faults.  So he's fat.  So he smokes.  So he loses it emotionally every once in a while.  Hey, I think he gave up drinking booze...that's good. 

JD, I'm rooting for you.  Whether you shoot 81 or 67, I'm rooting for you.  You're real.  You're good for golf.

Comments

[Kirsten]

The other kids in my 9 year old's LPGA Girl's Golf summer camp greatly admired her John Daly lion club cover ;-)

[Ted]

I'm not sure JD is every kids' favorite, but I think he is one of golf's much needed characters! Good luck with the camp!

[Joe]

I personally think Golf hasn't been the same since John left the scene.
Hope to see him playing again soon
Joe