John Daly aiming for major comeback

Just call him the Mild Thing.

John Daly says he hasn't had a drink in 11 months, which is not to suggest he is keeping track of how long it has been or worries how long sobriety will last.

''I just don't think about it as much as I used to,'' Daly said, sipping on a Diet Coke at the bar in the Loch Lomond clubhouse in Scotland over the weekend, a dozen bottles of whiskey only six feet away and a tray of beer passing by every few minutes.

''People keep talking about drinking, drinking, drinking,'' he said. ''All that does is make you want to drink. I just don't have any desire.''

Daly's desire is squarely on golf, and this time one gets the idea he means it.

Over the winter, a company called Players Turf International installed an artificial green behind his house in Arkansas, 124 yards from a long strip of Bermuda grass that serves as the tee. He has another patch of grass behind the pool that allows him to hit a 7-iron.

A typical day at home includes hitting balls at about 6 a.m.

''I get up about the time I used to come in,'' Daly said with a bemused smile and a long drag from a cigarette.

Clearly, Daly no longer is the Wild Thing -- on or off the course.

It's one thing to say his last beer was in August or that he hasn't dropped more than $6,000 in one sitting at a casino. It's quite another to see Daly inside the ropes, strolling the fairways with patience and purpose.

The results bear that out.

Daly tied for third at the Scottish Open, a tournament that featured seven of the top 15 players in the world rankings and was won by U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen. It was his best finish since winning the British Open at St. Andrews in 1995, and the second time in his last three events he had a chance to win.

Here's more evidence:

• Daly has had eight consecutive rounds at par or better, and 12 of his last 13. OK, it's not exactly in step with Tiger Woods, but it's a leap for Daly.

• He is No. 164 in the world rankings, having started the season at No. 414.

• Daly is 69th on the money list. He hasn't finished higher than 57th since the year he won at St. Andrews.

''It would be the greatest win ever,'' said Daly, winner of two majors. ''Not too many people would have made it this far.''

Daly's journey is not measured in miles or rankings or money lists, but two ex-wives, two trips to alcohol rehabilitation and countless Alcoholics Anonymous meetings where he says now he never belonged.

''I don't feel like I'm an alcoholic,'' he said. ''I think I'm allergic to some types of alcohol. I never got in trouble drinking a load of beer. But if I drink whiskey, I'm a lost cause. Whiskey makes me go nuts.''

Slowly, Daly is taking more control of his life.

After his weight ballooned to 260 pounds last year -- he blames that on the antidepressants people around him thought he should try -- Daly dropped 30 pounds in a month and shed another 20 since then.

He split with his fiance two months ago, claiming there was too much negativity in his life and that he already had enough to last a lifetime.

His game is different, too. Daly had the shafts in his driver and 3-wood shortened by one inch, giving him a little more control and a little less distance. He has been working on a fade and is gaining confidence by the week.

''He's hitting the ball better and he's more happy within himself,'' Darren Clarke said. ''And that's a big difference for John to be that happy.''

Daly says the source of that happiness was listening to his body, charting his own course and trusting where it will lead.

''Your body tells you what you want and what you need,'' he said. ''People said I couldn't do it on my own. Well, I did it on my own from 1991 to 1995 and I had good success. From 1996, I listened to everybody and I felt like a rat on medication. Everyone thought I was in depression. Hell, I was more depressed taking that (stuff).''

The British Open is his first major of the year.

His five-year exemptions to the Masters and U.S. Open, earned from his victory at St. Andrews, expired last year. Daly asked Augusta National for an extra year because he was in alcohol rehab for the '97 Masters, but was denied. He tried to qualify for the U.S. Open, but said his heart wasn't in it.

The last time Daly played at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, he was introduced on the first tee as the British Open champion.

''It was awesome,'' Daly said.

What can be expected this week?

Daly isn't sure, only that he is headed in the right direction.

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