By DOUG FERGUSON
Associated PressJohn Daly has been suspended for six months by the PGA Tour for conduct that brought unwelcome publicity, including a night in a North Carolina jail to sober up.
“Is it fair that I got suspended? It’s not fair in reality, but it’s probably fair in perception,” he told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Terry Reilly, an agent at the SFX Golf firm that manages Daly, confirmed for
Golfweek that the suspension came down from commissioner Tim Finchem in November. His understanding was that the punishment was for a "compilation of behavior."
Daly plans to play in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Dubai on the PGA European Tour early in 2009 and some other European events the first half of the year, Reilly said.
“He’s always liked Europe,” Reilly said. “Maybe it’ll be a blessing in disguise. He can go over there and work on his game.”
This is the second time the PGA Tour has suspended the two-time major champion, along with at least two other times he agreed to take time off to get his life in order. Daly, 42, called this the lowest point in his wild 18-year career.
He has not played on the PGA Tour since he missed the cut Oct. 17 in Las Vegas. Ten days later, police in Winston-Salem, N.C., said he appeared intoxicated outside a Hooters restaurant, and he was taken to jail to sleep it off. That led to a photo of Daly in an orange jail suit with his eyes half-open.
Daly was not charged with a crime.
PGA Tour spokesman Ty Votaw declined comment, even though Daly confirmed his suspension, citing the Tour’s longtime policy of not discussing fines or suspensions.
Daly decided to go public “to be fair to my fans and tournament organizers” during the first three months of the season when he typically plays on the West Coast and in Florida. His last victory was the Buick Invitational in 2004, and Daly said his five-year exemption as a past champion runs out this year.
He said he would continue playing the PGA European Tour, starting with a three-week swing in the United Arab Emirates.
“This is the lowest I’ve ever been,” Daly said. “There’s always light with me. Right now, my home tour is probably Europe. And I love the European Tour. I always have. But my home is the United States. That’s where I would rather play.”
Daly isn’t even sure when the suspension began, but he hopes it ends in May. He said PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem sent a letter to his agent, Bud Martin of SFX Sports, who passed along the news.
“Tim and his staff have to do what they do,” Daly said. “Truly and honestly, I wish Tim would get to know the facts better before he makes a decision. I would love to sit down and have a nice talk with him, tell him what really happened. But perception is reality in the world, and sometimes they have to do what they have to do.”
Martin would only say the suspension was to end in the spring, adding “it remains confidential with the PGA Tour.” He said Daly wants to use 2009 to turn his career around.
“This is the last negative thing that’s been gnawing at him,” Martin said. “We didn’t make any requests for exemptions, and John wanted to be clear with them. He wanted to play in their tournaments, but he can’t. He didn’t want to let his fans down. He wanted them to know the truth.”
Daly said he hopes to play well enough to earn sponsor exemptions on the PGA Tour when the suspension is lifted.
“John’s New Year’s resolution is do everything he can to make positive things happen on the golf course,” Martin said. “I hope he can walk the walk. The talk sounds great. But it’s going to be him working hard and staying out of trouble, and having success on the golf course.”
Daly became an overnight sensation when he won the 1991 PGA Championship at Crooked Stick as the ninth alternate, introducing his powerful “grip it and rip it” style to golf. Four years later, he won the British Open at St. Andrews. But his career has been dragged down by two trips to alcohol rehab, four marriages, gambling losses and other off-course episodes that have made him an attraction beyond his prodigious length off the tee.
Asked why he was suspended, Daly pointed to four incidents during the year.
After a rain delay at Innisbrook during the Florida Swing, he emerged from a Hooters hospitality tent with Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden as his caddie for the final seven holes of the round, prompting a split with swing coach Butch Harmon.
While promoting a golf course in Missouri, Daly did a regional television interview wearing only blue jeans – no shirt, no shoes – while showing how to play one of the holes. Then at the Buick Open, during a pro-am that featured Kid Rock in overalls, Daly revved up the fans by hitting one drive off the top of a beer can.
He drew the most attention from the night in jail. Daly told the AP that his friends called police when they feared he had passed out, unaware he sleeps with his eyes open when he’s had too much to drink. Daly was not charged, rather put in jail under a state law called “Assistance to Intoxicated Persons.” But his jail photo was an Internet sensation.
“The picture didn’t help,” Daly said. “People think I got arrested when I didn’t get arrested. It is what it is. I’ve got to deal with it and go on. Whatever reason the tour has, maybe a positive will come out of this.”
Daly has not had full status on the PGA Tour the last two years. He finished No. 232 on the money list this year with $56,017 in 17 events, missing the cut 10 times and withdrawing twice.
He has played four times since the PGA Tour suspended him, tying for 17th in the Hong Kong Open and missing the cut at all three tournaments he played in Australia. In the Australian Open, he lost his patience with a fan who put a camera in his face during the round, smashing the camera against a tree.
The publicity cost him his endorsements. Daly said his only deals are with Focus Golf Systems, which signed a 15-year agreement in 2006 to sell his golf clubs and apparel in Wal-Mart stores; and Fly Emirates, part of a deal that will pay his travel expenses when he plays the Abu Dhabi Championship, Qatar Masters and Dubai Desert Classic in early 2009.
“This has been the worst year,” he said in the New Year’s Eve interview. “One day left.”
– Golfweek staff contributed
Posted: 12/31/2008
print
email
discuss
