Tiger Woods had just finished his opening round of the 2014 PGA Championship after shooting a disappointing 2-over 74. He stood in the Valhalla parking lot stretching his back, joshing with friends and loading his clubs into the back of his prepaid Mercedes SUV.
Shortly thereafter, another SUV pulled up beside him, probably also prepaid for the athlete that rode in its passenger seat.
That passenger was John Daly.
Daly had just finished five-over-par, three strokes behind Tiger and eleven strokes off the lead. While Tiger moaned about his round, Daly probably couldn’t have given a flying fuck about his.
I watched both TNT and the Golf Channel’s coverage of Thursday’s opening round and saw not a single glimpse of Daly who, by the way, is a former PGA Champion. I guess he’s no longer the draw he once was.
If you’re not familiar with John Daly, he’s one of the more charismatic figures on tour. After winning two majors (PGA – ’91; British Open – ’95), Daly pretty much disappeared from the face of the earth… or at least his golf game did. If it weren’t for the bright colors he currently wears on the course, nobody would even know he existed.
But back in the day, Daly was exactly what the tour needed. In fact, he might still be what it needs: a brash, chain-smoking, occasionally alcoholic monster-hitter who brings a Happy Gilmore-like persona to the game.
That might just be what Tiger needs to get his game back as well.
We’re all aware of what Tiger has been through lately. We don’t need to rehash his exploits. He missed the cut again this weekend, putting up back-to-back rounds of 74. Professional golf is one of the toughest mental games out there and right now Tiger’s head is in the clouds. It’s certainly not on his golf game. We can point to an aching back or a surgically repaired knee but anyone who watches the former great play eighteen holes can tell the problem lay squarely between his ears.
So maybe a debaucherous night out with Daly is just what the doctor ordered, like listening to that devil on your shoulder encouraging you to have just one more, except that devil is a blonde-haired, pot-bellied, professional golfer. After all, if anybody can understand what Tiger is going through without judging him, it’s John Daly.
Tiger need no longer concern himself with what other people think. Despite his allure, he has no place to go but up. I say it’s about time he goes on a Daly-like bender to return himself to his natural state. Picture if you will, Woods and Daly on a drug-induced, Fear and Loathing-like excursion to Las Vegas in an attempt to rediscover the golfer formerly known as El Tigre. Their union has Miyagi-Danielsan potential just with a lot more bourbon, strippers and cigarette butts.
I don’t mean to promote infidelity but whatever Tiger Woods was doing in his past life worked. What he is doing now is not. In fact, golf’s television ratings are so dependent upon his success that I’m surprised the Tour hasn’t secretly sponsored his bender.
Either way, Tiger’s clock is ticking. Jack Nicklaus’s record of 19 major (which Tiger is still five short of) becomes more unattainable with every missed cut.
Perhaps John Daly can be the answer.
At this point, it couldn’t hurt.
Woods has spent far too much time in the gym and less time improving his game . Let me pose this question also , his name being associated with now jailed and disgraced doctor Anthony Galea ae (found guilty of trafficking drugs across int’l borders [Canada & US] and supply professional athletes with steroids) , how is it the PGA Tour did nothing and never conducted an investigation into the allegations ? Tiger’s legal representatives said they would meet with authorities were they asked to do so to answer any questions. Nothing was forthcoming and even after the Justice Dept briefly asked to meet with the player , somehow he had to meet other obligatory engagements on his schedule outside the country at the time . A Rods name was also mentioned in Galea’s records as a patient and there nothing was done by the MLB hierarchy. Wonder why the hierarchies of both sports are so incompetent and lacking in leadership ?
Impressive final round by McIlroy to win the PGA Championship . Other than Lefty there isn’t a US golfer worth a damn currently playing on the PGA Tour , They simply can’t play under pressure .
Tiger doesn’t deserve to be on the US Ryder Cup team playing at Gleneagles Scotland in September . If Tom Watson puts him on there it would be a mistake , in spite of his Ryder Cup experience and record .
Thoughts on the results from the NFL preseason openers ?
tophatal …………..
I’m not buying the gym thing, Al. Rory’s not small. A lot more golfers are hitting the weights to stay in shape. One can only assume Tiger’s workouts would be in tune with his game. Just depends on what he was taking along with those workouts.
News that Woods was linked to Galea broke long ago. I don’t think it would surprise anyone these days if Tiger had done any sort of performance enhancers. Some people think that’s why his body is breaking down now.
As far as US golfers go, Al, they’re not horrible. US Men’s golf is certainly in better shape than US Men’s tennis. Bubba’s been playing well, Rickie Fowler played well this weekend and Furyk also finished in the top five.
But back to Tiger. I agree with you that he shouldn’t be on the Ryder Cup team. Even if he were healthy and playing well, he rarely plays well in those tournaments anyway. Keep in mind, however, Dustin Johnson is gone for reasons we’ve discussed and Jason Dufner will be out with a neck injury. So it’s slim pickins for Watson.
Look at Tiger Woods’ muscular physique in 1996 and now . If you can’t see the difference , then you obviously haven’t been watching the guy intensely or have listened him talk about his love of being in the gym .
US golf is habitually either in a near comatose state or fans become in awe of the alleged ” next big thing on the Tour . Bubba Watson is playing consistent ? Two Masters’ wins is almost half the slam tally of Lefty and now you’re seeing him as a constant threat on the Tour ? Watson is good but not great and that is a fact .
Watson and the PGA really need to have a better system concerning the team and how it is assembled. Just going by the Fedex Cup standings (top ten players ) and then two additional players to make up the team of twelve .
Tim Finchem as the CEO of the PGA had to be dragged kicking and screaming into adopting a mandatory drug testing policy , very much in the similar vain we have seen with the NBA and MLB . So what did you expect concerning the matter of Dustin Johnson ? . Professional sports in the US remains a joke and the lack of leadership among the hierarchies in question . First David Stern , now Adam Silver , _____ and with that @sshole Bud Selig still ruining baseball . Off- course we have the in-communicative Roger Goodell of the NFL . See the signs ? Let me know what you think with regard to assessment ?
US Men’s and women’s tennis is now on the decline and that has clearly been the case over the past six years . The USTA remains clueless concerning the development of the game among kids and their concentration primarily at the collegiate level is a sad indictment of tennis and the USTA’s philosophy in developing the game .
tophatal ………….
What could Tiger be taking ? Any number of a litany of steroidal enhancers . But the player himself is unlikely to be forthcoming concerning the matter . Look at how fast Leigh Steinberg ( his agent) sought to deflect the rumors , his client may well have been using a banned substance . Yet no one looked at those actions , with it being glossed over in the press , specifically the print media .
We all look different that we did twenty years ago, Al. It just depends on how we’ve taken care of our body over the years. Do you mean to tell you you looked the same at 38 as you did at 18?
I haven’t heard about the PGA Championship ratings. They probably suffered from the rain delay but I would imagine they were still pretty decent. Even with no Tiger, they still had Rory, Phil and a captivating finish.
Have you heard that Sternberg’s name has been mentioned as a possible successor to Selig?
Not convinced Woods would know what to do with Daly. They’re different animals. And the benders Daly’s capable of are so outside Tiger’s corporate body/mind/soul it would only serve to confuse Tiger all the more. Now if you introduce Tiger to mary jane (or Snoop!)….you might see some positive change. Dude is uptight!
Chris ,
I look at this way in terms of one’s physicality , it’s not just about exercise , but also what you’re doing in terms of a diet as well , beyond the issue of taking supplements or steroids . A decade in the military taught me that, beyond also taking up and teaching martial arts .
There was enough suspense in the tournament (PGA Championship) that we didn’t need to have the exploits of Tiger Woods to keep up us riveted . Ricky Fowler , Lefty and others had their chance , blew their opportunity . Rory McIlroy more than justified his number one world ranking with an emphatic win . Left a follow up statement concerning the dire state of US golf .
Was there really anything to impress you over the course of this weekend in terms of the NFL exhibition games ? All of this awe inspired idiocy concerning the Browns and Texans was nonsensical . Houston remains a bad team , even with the addition of Clowney and there is no way that Manziel will beat out Hoyer for the Browns’ starting job, unless Brian Hoyer has both his arms amputated .
Sternberg as the next MLB Commissioner would be a frigging joke . The favorites are said to be Rob Manfred , Tom Werner ( executive and part owner of the Red Sox) , Joe Torre and there is even mention tv host Bob Costas . I would rather see a complete outsider , rather than some sycophant who is currently a member of the league hierarchy, succeed Bud Selig . In reality , we all know the team owners would rather have one of their own , who will continue to do their beckoning and also kiss @ss . Much as it is with the NBA , NHL and NFL .
tophatal …………..
With Shark Week upon us now the first thing I thought of when I saw the disturbing picture of Daly with his shirt off is what a tv show Discovery would have if their cameras were rolling were he to waddle far enough from the shoreline. That pic was way more frightening then the relentless shark jaws of death images I see everywhere I turn this week.
Daly would be a fun guy to hang with if I was 20 years younger. You can add ‘donkey’ gambling to his many vices. His slot play @Wynn Casino was a huge windfall……..for the casino.
I can just see his face now while waiting to wrap up the British Open. He’s watching C Rocco trying to chip in a 60+ foot shot with wife #3? embracing him. Yep, the shot went in to force a playoff that JD eventually one.
Leave it to Tophatal and his usual intellectually-spongy wind-baggery to take a discussion in a direction completely irrelevant to the real point.
Tiger Woods doesn’t have to do a goddamn thing to cement his legacy. Even if he went “Robin Williams” tomorrow, anybody who has had ANYTHING to do with PGA in the last fifteen years should be sending Woods a Christmas card every year. Like it or not, he’s the reason anybody outside of the country club set gives a frog’s watertight ass about golf in this country. If you doubt that, here’s a homework assignment for you. Go back and look at what the purses were in the PGA before and after Tiger.
Remember that U.S. Open at Bethpage at few years back? Remember how they crammed so many people onto that course it was like watching a major tournament held during a Jets game,. Jack Nicklaus may have won more majors, and may have designed some great golf courses, but Tiger Woods is the one who filled them up with ticket-buyers.
The fact is that Woods has been, and will continue to be the name that moves the needle in golf. If he’s smart, he takes a bit of Chump’s advice and finds a way to adopt some of Daly’s lovable persona, if for no other reason than in 12 years, Tiger hits the senior tour. That matters because people don’t go to senior PGA events to see dominating golf; they show up to relive yesteryear, and nobody wants to warm up to an automoton.
If Eldrick wants to get back to dominating like 10 years ago, he only needs to get back on the roids and viagra.
Problem solved.
Twenty years ago today baseball set its mark for ongoing stupidity with their stalling of the 1994 season .
I wouldn’t buy the gym thing, either… though there are those rumors out there that he had ties to the doctors of some of the baseball players that got busted. He’s breaking down. There are younger guys that are up and coming, and simply not afraid of his game or intimidated. It happens to every pro. He’s so talented, that we may see him again in a major, but the more this goes on, the more I think that maybe he’s good for one more.
I’ve been a Jack fan my entire life, so as a fan of the game, that just doesn’t bother me one bit.
Billy (P.) B.
Send el Tigre some of that good Gainesville green and see what happens.
Allegedly the guy’s never done a drug in his life… or at least not that type of drug. There as physicians in Canada that might attest to the validity of that statement.
Al, apparently, ratings-wise, it was the most watched PGA Championship since the last time Tiger was in contention so perhaps the future of golf isn’t as dismal as we thought.
I haven’t paid too much attention to the first week of playoff football but I did hear the Bucs’ offensive line could use some work. Here’s hoping they shore up those issues by Week One or it could make for another long season.
Attitudes…
Are you suggesting I shouldn’t pick up the latest copy of “Body by Daly?”
Donkey gambling, Bets?
Please elaborate.
Also sounds like something you’d be into if given the opportunity.
Is there a sportsbook for that?
Good to see you back round these parts, Dub.
Of course I know it was just the smell of a Fear and Loathing reference that caught your attention.
Speaking from experience, Bleed?
KP…
Like most other athletes that have juiced, I wonder if we’ll ever hear the truth about whether Tiger did or not do anything to enhance his performance.
And if proof of that comes out, what will THAT mean to his legacy?
Chris,
Donkey or Donk is a poker term used to describe a dumb player. It replaces the age old term of “Fish”.
adding……………life is easier when playing mano a mano with any form of Donkey.
Ah…
That term I knew, sir.
I thought you meant he was actually gambling on donkeys.
…If margaritas and doobies count, then yes, I am most certainly speaking from experience.
LOL…Dub hit a hole in one with his opening line.
Dub’s been known, Bleed, to… shall we say… not be shy.
I welcome that.