Daly contrite after blowing up at U.S. Open

) John Daly has a simple wish for his complicated life.

"I just want to try and stay out of trouble," golf's longest hitter said today during a charity appearance in suburban Syracuse. "That would be nice."

Daly's latest trouble surfaced two days ago during the final round at the U.S. Open. He finished last and exploded afterward.

"This is my last U.S. Open -- ever," Daly said as he walked to his car after an 83 on Sunday. "I've had it with the USGA and the way they run their tournaments."

Today, he apologised.

"I don't know what happened. It was just the heat of the moment, coming off a bad round," Daly said during a skins game competition at Green Lakes State Park Golf Course. "I was just upset at my performance. I made some stupid comments. It doesn't get you popularity what I said the other day, but I sure hope the USGA will forgive me for it. It was stupid."

Despite his outburst, Daly said he hadn't ruled out playing in next year's Open at Pebble Beach.

"My game I don't feel has the patience maybe for the U.S. Open," he said. "But if the fans want me to play at Pebble, it will give me a bigger reason to play because I don't think it'll be a tournament that I'll go in thinking I can win."

Daly, who has battled alcoholism and a gambling problem, shot a first-round 68 last Thursday and was one shot off the U.S. Open lead. That prompted him to entertain the media with wit and humour

The charm wore off during Saturday's third round after Daly carded an 11-over 81 -- his second straight Open collapse. Last year at The Olympic Club, Daly began with a 69, only to shoot 75, 75 and 78 to finish in a tie for 53rd.

Daly declined to talk to the media after his third-round disaster at Pinehurst No. 2, making a quick stop in the locker room and speeding off in his car.

The frustration peaked at the eighth hole on Sunday and left Daly piqued. After a 340-yard drive on the par-4, 485-yard hole, Daly's second shot landed to the left of the green in one of the course's dreaded swales. He tried twice to putt the ball close to the flag, only to have it stop short and roll back toward his feet both times.

With the ball still rolling after his fourth shot, a frustrated Daly took a swipe and sent it rocketing over the green. That counted as another stroke, plus a two-shot penalty. He finally put the ball on the green with his eighth shot, then three-putted for an astounding 11.

"The thing with me," Daly said, "is I don't know who is going to show up tomorrow. It's a little scary."

It was the fun-loving, seemingly carefree John Daly who showed up on today, along with Billy Casper, Joey Sindelar and Jeff Sluman. And, as usual, the crowd was on Daly's side.

"It's kind of like maybe they hit it. They don't know where it's going and neither do I," Daly, a former British Open and PGA champion, said as he tried to explain his popularity. "Golf has been very frustrating. The last nine weeks haven't been good. It was not just the Open."

In his last nine starts on Tour, Daly has missed the cut three times, withdrawn three times, and his best finish is a tie for 51st. Three weeks ago at the Memorial Tournament, he six-putted from 8 feet for a 10 and dropped out after the first round with an 82.

With a light schedule on tap, Daly was looking forward to a break.

"I'll get this week off, get my mental frame back," he said. "I've been working real hard on my game. The good news is that it (my troubles) is about golf. It's not all the other stuff that I go through. It's actually more of a struggle now. I'm learning how to live again. It's a huge change in my life."

On the back nine today, Daly began to shine again -- he won three skins, tops for the day -- and laughed easily at his woes.

Before Sindelar holed a putt on No. 10 to win a $24,000 skin, he yelled over to Daly: "Hey John, will you hit my ball back if it rolls past the hole?"

"If you take the two strokes," Daly replied, a grin creasing his tanned face.

Daly, the overall winner on the day with three skins for $55,000, then won the par-3 No. 11 with a 50-foot finesse shot -- a lob wedge for birdie from the rough to the right of the green. The ball sailed about 20 feet straight up, plopped softly onto the green, and rolled slowly into the hole as the crowd roared.

On the 399-yard No. 12, Daly slammed one of his trademark drives about 320 yards straight down the middle of the fairway and birdied the par-4 hole for his second skin.

Daly won a crystal trophy for his effort, and quickly suggested what he might use it for.

"I can put a big thing of milk in there and do my Oreos," he said. "I got it made."

AP