For a good time, play in the Canadian Open. That's one of the, well, messages from John Daly's new book, My Life In And Out Of The Rough, subtitled The Truth Behind All That Bull You Think You Know About Me.
Daly's had quite a time north of the U.S. border and far from his home in Dardanelle, Ark., and he doesn't hold back in relating one particular experience during the 2003 Bell Canadian Open at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Ancaster, Ont. Most of what he writes can't be printed in a family newspaper; for details, go to page 157 of his book.
As Daly tells the tale, he was at a party during tournament week when a young woman, who said she was a stripper, introduced herself in an unusual manner. Somebody took a picture of her topless with Daly as they met at the party he describes as "nothing out of the ordinary, just a lot of women and booze and dancing."
Daly said, "Whoa! What the hell is this? You're not using this for anything, are you?"
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The answer was, "No, no, no, we're just having fun." Daly adds, "There were women all over the place, partying like crazy. So I just kept taking pictures with this woman, who told me her name was Tiffany."
Fast forward about a year, when pictures of Daly with Tiffany showed up on the Internet. Daly's wife Sherrie wasn't too pleased, convinced, he writes, "that I'd cheated on her."
No such thing, he writes. But, he notes, "I did moon the crowd one time," and a photo of that event showed up on the Internet as well. A player agent sent the photos to Canadian Open director Bill Paul. "In one of the pictures, they were on top of a car and on the side was Bell Canadian Open," Paul said yesterday.
Now, Bell and the Canadian Open surely aren't averse to a little promotion. But the party photos weren't what they had in mind. Daly's behaviour and public telling of his life in and out of the rough can't be to the liking of PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, either. Daly isn't projecting the image he'd prefer.
Meanwhile, here comes the Canadian Open at the Hamilton club again. Hamilton's a classy old place, saturated in the history of the game. But there was Daly in early September, 2003, living in his luxurious bus just down Golf Links Road from the stately club, parked beside Montana's Cookhouse Saloon.
Will he return to Hamilton this coming September?
"I spoke with John once and with his agent a couple of times," Paul said. "They weren't sure what he'd do. He's got some offers."
No doubt he does have some offers, and some terrific memories of that Canadian Open, notwithstanding his, ahem, performance. Daly opened with 75 and was eight-over par for the tournament when he withdrew after 26 holes with a hand injury. But, Paul said, "I think he hung around for the weekend. He made the cut at the party."
Paul added that Paul Cornyea (a member of Hamilton and the tournament chairman in 2003 and again this year) wanted to meet Daly. "I knew when he would show up on Thursday, so we waited for him," Paul recalled. "John showed up with a cigarette in his hand, coughing and hacking away. You could see he'd had a great time the night before."
How can you not be intrigued by Daly? He's so candid he told Morley Safer on CBS's 60 Minutes Sunday night, "I'm a nympho." Yet here's a fellow who, when he heard that Tom Weaver, 39, had been struck by lightning and killed during the 1991 PGA Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind., promised himself he would help the family if he won.
Daly won and put $30,000 in a college trust fund for Weaver's daughters Karen, then 8, and Emily, 12. Karen is on her way to becoming a doctor while Emily is about to graduate from college as a respiratory therapist.
"People relate to the guy," Paul said, "but whatever he's done, he's still one of the greatest guys when it comes to giving his time, especially with children."
Paul hadn't seen Daly's book yet, but it was clear from his voice that he'd read it soon. After all, a tournament director should know the players he wants at his tournament, right?
Daly's let it all hang out. He's gripped it, ripped it, told all about it, and he's there for the knowing.
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