John Daly Suspended By PGA Tour For 6 Months

I’m one of many who root for John Daly. Do I approve of his wheels-off behavior? Yes and no as his common man persona is easy to like and never sugarcoats his self-destructive adventures. But at some point, there’s a limit to everything and Daly had been suspended five times by 2010 for “not giving his best effort.”

Okay, make that six times as AP golf writer Doug Ferguson reports.

The two-time major champion confirmed his suspension to The Associated Press, calling this the low point of an 18-year career during which he has made as much news off the course as he has with his prodigious game.

“Is it fair that I got suspended?” he said. “It’s not fair in reality, but it’s probably fair in perception.”

That’s one reason why you’ll see him on the European Tour for the time being.

“I’m not sure this is the smartest thing to do, but I’d rather be honest, especially with the fans,” Daly said. “It’s hard for me not to play on the West Coast. I love it out there.”

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 Daly was taken to jail to sleep it off. That led to his photo in the orange jail suit, which became an Internet sensation.

Still trying to recover from various injuries, Daly made only five cuts in 17 starts on the tour, finishing 232nd on the money list. His world ranking has plunged to No. 736.

“Tim [Finchem]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.”

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 hospitality tent with Gruden as his caddie for the final seven holes of the round, prompting a split with swing coach Butch Harmon.

“My whole goal for him was he’s got to show me golf is the most important thing in his life,” Harmon said in March. “And the most important thing in his life is getting drunk.”

Same old John. I’d like nothing more than to see him gets his wheels back on track, but I’m not holding out any hope either. Fame is a tricky endeavor and some celebs handle it better than others. Daly is evidently an other.

UPDATE: It would have been a good post except upon noticing the articles’s posting date of 2008. My attention to detail was sorely lacking–along with the thousands of readers who didn’t notice it either…