Daly - everyman hero amongst the leaders

This was a good day for John Daly.

The hero of the everyman strolled up the 18th fairway with his shaggy blonde hair, orange-tinted sunglasses, expansive belly and cigarette dangling from his lips, soaking up the cheers of the gallery at Pinehurst No. 2.

No one knows if the adulation will last another day. Not even Daly.

Too many times, he's fallen off the wagon of sobriety. Too many times, he's stumbled into an abyss of gambling debts and other personal woes. Too many times, he's staggered off the golf course, uncertain if this bedeviling game is really worth all the trouble.

"I don't know who is going to show up tomorrow," Daly said after shooting a 2-under-par 68 Thursday in the first round of the U.S. Open, putting him only shot behind four players tied for the lead.

"It's kind of scary, but I want to soak this day in and pat myself on the back for a round that I very much needed for myself and my self-esteem."

Daly is a baffling, complex man, capable of pushing aside his demons every so often to demonstrate considerable skills with a club in his hands.

In 1991, Daly won the PGA Championship. In 1995, he captured the British Open. The calendar says it's time for another major title.

"John can play that well at any time," said Tigers Woods, tied with Daly heading into today's second round. "He's got so much talent. Yeah, he hits it a long way, but he's also got a wonderful short game. People overlook his touch."

Daly, who has only four PGA Tour victories in his career, provided scant signs in recent weeks that he was ready to contend. He had missed the cut or withdrawn from eight of 16 events this season, including a meltdown at the Memorial two weeks ago. He dropped out after six-putting on the 18th green to cap a first-round 82.

"I am about as much in shock as everybody else," said Daly, who started the Open with three straight birdies. "I got off to a great start, and that's something I haven't done in a long time. To birdie the first three holes in the U.S. Open just doesn't happen too much."

And to think, Daly considered skipping the tournament.

Last year, he was one of nine players to shoot under par in the first round at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, only to finish with rounds of 75, 75 and 78. He was tired of Opens with narrow fairways and 5-inch rough taking the driver out of his hands.

But Daly decided to come to North Carolina after hearing of the wide, flat fairways where he could whale away with his big stick. He did just that Thursday, using only one iron off the tee on a par-4.

Clearly, Daly appeals to those fans who "ooh" and ``aah'' a booming drive -- no matter where it lands -- and serenade golfers with a chorus of "You da man!"

"I think a major championship should be played to where you've got to play golf and not having to hit the 4-, 5- and 3-irons off the tees," he said.

With typical candor, Daly discussed his ongoing battle with alcoholism that still seems capable of destroying his career at any time.

"There are days when I get down on sobriety," said Daly, who has been seeing a sports psychologist the past month.

This week, he revealed to the News & Record of Greensboro, N.C., that he gambled away $9 million during the mid-1990s, sometimes wagering more than $200,000 on a single hand of blackjack. He managed to pay off most of the gambling debts but is struggling to cope with dwindling earnings on the PGA Tour -- less than $22,000 in the last three months.

"John is coming around," Payne Stewart insisted. ``I think he is in control of his life and he has thought of a way to play this golf course and he's doing a good job of it. More power to him."

Daly was a model of consistency on his first trip around Pinehurst, except for an errant drive on No. 18 that cost him a bogey and a share of the lead.

No matter. Upon receiving a boisterous welcome from fans surrounding the final green, Daly broke into a wide smile and waved. Afterwards, he gobbled down six cheeseburgers and a bag of cookies.

"The fans were awesome," Daly said. ``They've been that way throughout my career, through all the ups and downs. It was nice to show them the old John Daly. I'm not saying it's going to happen every day. But I owe it to them.

"I owe it to myself."

AP