The John Daly Fans Debate – The Verdict

June 15, 2009



It’s hard to find folks who sit on the fence about John Daly. It’s clear to me that fans of golf are either passionately loyal to him arguing that he is representing all regular folks out on the course, or vehemently disdain him because of a repeated lack of respect, in their view, of golf.

Without further ado, the winner of The John Daly Fans Debate is…

LOYAL HOMER!!!!!!

To recap… Loyal Homer did an excellent job of capturing the essence of the pro-John Daly group, even taking the argument a step further and calling John Daly a standout underdog in a sport dominated by underdogs – thanks to Tiger Woods. Bleacher Fan (whose keyboard may still be smoking) launched the counter-argument that John Daly is everything that golf culture isn’t – lewd, distasteful, and generally un-gentlemanly.

To me, this debate is not, as Loyal Homer stated, about whether John Daly is an underdog, feel-good story. This debate is not, as Bleacher Fan stated, about the various, well-documented illegalities and addictions that John Daly has struggled with throughout his career golf. This debate is asking if fans should root for John Daly, and all of the baggage that comes with him.

In short, fans should root for John Daly in the way that Loyal Homer described – as a good friend who continually makes poor decisions. Therefore cheering his successes only reinforces the positive outcomes. Do we get to a point with a family member or friend where we simply give up trying to help them? Doubtful. In Daly’s case, the goal must be to laud the accomplishments that reinforce the gentlemanly nature of men’s professional golf… something that separates it from all other major sports.

I will say that I do not agree with every aspect of Loyal Homer’s argument, specifically, the claim that John Daly’s crowds rival that of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. While Daly may move the ratings needle slightly (in the same way that people love to watch live car chases), I do not think that golf fans rearrange their schedules on Sunday afternoon to watch John Daly, the way they would for Tiger or Lefty.

I’ll also tack on that I agree with Bleacher Fan – Daly has injected some unfortunate memories into the sport’s history. It does seem strange for Daly to share the record books with some of the golf’s greats, even if he did earn his place.

John Daly is not an underdog. He’s a good golfer – or at least he can be. Fans should support Daly’s better golf outings, and root for his respect of the sport, and himself.

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Posted by Sports Geek

The John Daly Debate – The Not-So-Loveable Loser

June 15, 2009



Golf is an honorable game with a storied tradition. That tradition should NOT include John Daly!

There have been many feel-good stories throughout golf’s history. Tiger Woods is one of those feel-good stories. Whether discussing his 2006 season, where he racked up 6 consecutive tournament victories following the death of his father, Earl, or the 2008 U.S. Open where he limped his way to victory over Rocco Mediate on a severely injured knee, Tiger has been a part of recent examples that will surely be remembered in golf lore for years to come.

There’s the story of Payne Stewart, golf’s all-around good-guy. Stewart is remembered for several notable moments, including a 15-foot putt at Pinehurst to close out the final hole of the U.S. Open in 1999. There is the time when he won the Tournament at Bay Hill in 1987 and donated the entire sum of his winnings – $108,000 – to the Florida Hospital Circle of Friends in memory of his father, Bill, who passed away from cancer. Most notable is the ghostly image of a bag-piper crossing a fog-covered green at the Tour Championship in Houston in October of 1999, and the sight of many of Stewart’s friends playing the next day in plus-fors as homage to their beloved colleague and friend whose life had tragically ended in a plane crash one week before the event.

There’s Jack Nicklaus, the “Golden Bear.” Nicklaus made a promise to his son, Craig, who was dying of a rare type of bone cancer at age 11. He said he would wear yellow at every tournament he played in, which he proudly did for his son. Fast-forward to 1986 at Augusta National where Nicklaus, still wearing yellow, embraces another of his sons and his caddie, Jackie, as he claimed his record sixth Green Jacket at the age of 46.

There are many magical stories with many wonderful thoughts and sentiments attached to them.

Compare those to the story of John Daly. A man who has been charged multiple times with multiple offenses, including a most recent incident where he was arrested outside of a Hooters Restaurant for appearing intoxicated in October of 2008. This incident led to his third suspension from golf. His first suspension resulted from a domestic-violence charge, and the second stems from an incident at Kapalua Golf Course where he just picked his ball up off the course on 11 and skipped to the 12th tee in 1993.

Daly is an admitted alcoholic and drug user who has also confessed to a gambling addiction. He has been involved in embarrassing incidents both on and off the course. Consider his run-in with a spectator during the opening round of the Australian Open in 2008, where he smashed the spectator’s camera into a tree.

John Daly’s presence on the PGA Tour has resulted in numerous black marks on a game which prides itself on honor and dignity. Daly’s behavior has been anything BUT honorable and dignified.

Now, the golfing world holds its collective breath as Daly makes yet another return to the game which he has disgraced many times over. Has Daly truly seen the error of his ways? Will he take steps to make up for all the wrong he has done, both personally and professionally? My answer to those questions is – who Cares?! John Daly has had more than his fair share of mulligans. I cannot name one quality that I find endearing, and can’t fathom actually cheering for him as he sets foot on the tee-box at a major tournament. He has exhausted any good will that I might have for a man in his situation.

I do not feel that he is worthy of the fans support, especially in a game where so many good and honorable things have happened throughout history.
If you want a REAL player worth cheering for this year at Bethpage Black, site of this year’s U.S. Open, it’s Phil Mickelson. Mickelson has been one of the PGA’s great ambassadors during his career. He has sponsored or founded multiple charities, and always carries himself in a way befitting the dignity of a golfer. Now Mickelson faces a new challenge, supporting his wife, Amy, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. The U.S. Open will mark his second tournament since the discovery of her disease. I’ll be watching and cheering for Mickelson AND his family because they truly deserve all the support they can get.

Read the debate intro and Loyal Homer’s opinion.

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Posted by Bleacher Fan

The John Daly Fan Debate – John Daly is the Ultimate Underdog

June 15, 2009



Time and time again, America roots for the underdog in athletic competition. For baseball, maybe it was the Tampa Bay Rays last year. For college basketball, maybe it was George Mason making a deep run in the 2006 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Maybe it was rooting for Boise State to knock off Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl in college football. Maybe it’s whoever is playing the New York Yankees or the Dallas Cowboys, perhaps the two wealthiest teams in all of sports. In golf, America roots for John Daly.

In some ways, John Daly is just another regular John Doe. Yes, I know! John Doe doesn’t always have a checkered past littered with alcoholism, gambling additions, and ex-wives. But, many of us may have a friend who has tackled the same issues that Daly has, right? And we root for that friend to succeed, right? John Daly is no different.

John Daly burst onto the scene in 1991, going from zero to hero and winning the 1991 PGA Championship – one of golf’s four majors (as we all know). He was the ninth alternate to get into the tournament (as Sports Geek pointed out in his intro). He won that tournament without playing as much as a single round at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana, who played host for the PGA Championship that year. Remember that little mini-mullet he had?

He wasn’t then, and isn’t now, a regular country club golfer. Close your eyes and picture a golfer… it’s tough to bring an image of John Daly to mind – admit it! I’ll admit it. I don’t! But, so what! Isn’t that what makes him likable?

It doesn’t matter that for the better part of his golf career he has been this cursing, overweight, beer-drinking, cigarette smoking, golfer. He comes across as a likable guy. He has that likability factor going for him that Simon Cowell likes to talk about on American Idol. Outside of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, he is still arguably one of the top draws in golf – which is amazing considering he hasn’t won a PGA tournament in almost five and a half years. If Woods, Mickelson, and Daly were battling it out on the back nine on Sunday, Daly would have just as much crowd support as Woods and Mickelson. He’s David and everyone else is Goliath. He’s the ultimate underdog. That’s why America roots for him.

Last weekend, Daly played in his first tournament in over 6 months at the St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tennessee. He finished tied for 59th place, with a four round score of one over par. Not great, but it’s a start. Hopefully, it’s the start of many more things to come!

To answer the debate question from Sport Geek, yes, America should root for John Daly. Every sport needs someone to take on the underdog role, and John Daly fits it perfectly!

Read the debate intro and Bleacher Fan’s opinion.

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Posted by Loyal Homer

The John Daly Fans Debate – Should Fans Root for John Daly?

June 15, 2009



John Daly is a professional golfer. That statement is an overly simple explanation of the life of John Daly. When he broke into the professional golf in 1987, he appeared to be another dedicated, hard-working golf professional with high ambitions. He won his first tournament in 1990 (the Ben Hogan Utah Classic) and debuted on the PGA Tour in 1991 where he won the PGA Championship. This is where Daly’s underdog story begins.

Daly was the ninth alternate for the PGA Championship. When Nick Faldo dropped out of the vent, and none of the first eight alternates could make the event, Daly got the call and shot a first round 69. Buoyed by the first round success, he won the tournament and the tour rookie of the year award. Several years later, in 1995, he won his second major, taking the British Open at St. Andrews.

Daly has donated time and money to charities in his home state, including his high school’s chapter of both the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club of America. He is also a supporter of University of Arkansas athletic teams.

Despite this early success, Daly failed to become the darling of the ultimate “gentleman’s sport,” golf. Daly has never been chosen to represent the United States in the Ryder Cup, and there’s good reason for that.

Daly has struggled mightily with myriad off-the-course issues, starting with gambling. He even admitted to losing over one million dollars gambling on $5000/round slot machines in Las Vegas. After claiming that the PGA Tour was rife with rampant cocaine use in 1994, Daly decided to take a leave of absence from the tour. He is an admitted heavy drinker – everything from booze to Diet Coke – and unapologetic about his various struggles with addiction. Last January, Daly was suspended from PGA Tour golf for a period of 6 months, a timeframe that has just expired.

A quote from John Daly, “I know there’s a lot of guys who would love to see me fail. Well, good. Let ‘em. I’m glad.”

Daly’s “Joe Everybody” approach to golf and life has endeared him to many golf fans across the country, and brought out a sizable portion of critics, too.
So, the question begs – is John Daly a lovable loser, or just a loser? As golf and sports fans, should we root for John Daly’s success, or admonish him for his poor example and indifference?

Loyal Homer will argue that John Daly is deserving of fan support, while Bleacher Fan will argue that John Daly is not deserving of support from fans.
May the best debater win!

Read Loyal Homer and Bleacher Fan’s opinions.

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Posted by Sports Geek

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