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Sunday, August 20, 2006
Subject: Phil Hearts Tiger
Time: 8:33:34 PM EDT
Author: sblcraig
Here are some more media secrets for all young aspiring bloggers. The jocks rarely give one-on-one interviews. The usually give a press conference and then the scribes write down the cliché of the day and move on to the beer tent.  Phil gets ready to toss his cookies. (AP)
At the golf majors, there is a "quickie quote" area. When a golfer finishes a round he will go speak with a reporter and answer a few questions. After the interview someone who works for the PGA will pass out the interview, reading these 'flash interviews' can be hilarious.
Phil Mickelson played terrible on Sunday. He stunk up the joint. I'm sure all he wants to do it head back into the clubhouse, get cleaned up and call his bookie to get the latest pre-season football lines. The last thing in the world he wants to do to talk about the crappy game of golf he just shot and certainly doesn't want to talk about any other golfers.
Phil knows he's made a pretty nice life using the crooked sticks - talking to a few ink-stained scribes won't kill him.
Phil answered five questions - three about his crappy play on Sunday and two about the guy who won the tournament.
Here are Phil's questions and answers about Tiger Woods - word for word.
Q: Can you put into perspective, 12 majors and he's 30 years old and about to, not quite celebrate his 10th anniversary out here.
PHIL MICKELSON: It's pretty good.
Q: His current stretch now since the US Open, does that remind you or is it comparable to his big stretch in 2000-2001?
PHIL MICKELSON: I don't know if I could really compare both of them are very impressive.
One a completely different note, when Tiger was in the press room answering questions about today's round of golf, a reporter from China asked Tiger if he liked golf more than children. I'm sure something was lost in translation. It had to be - right?
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Subject: Tiger Woods' Opening Act Dresses Funny
Time: 7:12:52 PM EDT
Author: sblcraig
The opening act for the Tiger Woods Majors World Domination Tour was Phil Mickelson and Ian Poulter. It had the potential to be one of the day's more entertaining rounds - Phil is a crowd favorite, has the best nickname in golf and Ian dresses like a pimp on the Bravo Channel. A good time for all parties involved.  Poulter could not wear this outfit to a Chicago Bears' game. (Getty)Ian Poulter continued to stun the crowds in Chicago with his crimes of fashion. On Sunday for the final round of the last major championship of the year, Poulter wore a hot pink shirt, matching sunglasses and black pants with hot pink trim. I wouldn't be stunned if the pants were actually chaps. One of the more dangerous trends in golf is the Texas-sized cowboy belt buckle several golfers, including the Bravo Pimp, are now making fashionable. Poulter's golf costume also featured rhinestones. I am not making this up. Even Poulter's golf bag can't escape his fashion triple bogeys. His golf bag had sparkles on it. It looked like one of Elvis's old jumpsuits from the Vegas Hilton days. If Poulter is ever paired with Sergio Garcia on the final day David Feherty will drop dead of a heart attack. Championship Sunday started off rough for Mickelson, who bogeyed the first hole. It didn't get any better for the defending champ. By the third hole, Bones had to talk Mickelson off the ledge and he looked like just picked the Buffalo Bills to win the Super Bowl. If you could read Phil's mind, I'm sure he was thinking: "I am FIGJAM. I can't believe I'm being outplayed by a guy in a pink shirt. What the hell is wrong with me?" Phil's best game was left on the practice range. He made a perfect 'V' with seven golf balls - it was the coolest thing I've seen since the Tiger Woods' "bounce" commercial. Earlier in the week the crowd was behind Mickelson. They were quizzing him about NFL gambling scenarios, inviting him to join their fantasy football league and just generally showing the dude some love. On Sunday the crowd had pity for Phil. They told him to keep his head up, stay focused and wondered how in the hell can you be losing to a guy in a pink shirt? By the sixth hole I realized I was the only guy inside the ropes still following Phil and the Pimp. This was getting ugly. A quick check of the leaderboard showed I saw I was missing some decent golf. Making the long walk back to follow some other groups I saw an old Korean man shout some words of encouragement in his native tongue to K.J. Choi. I think they were words of encouragement, I don't speak Korean. Behind Choi and Chris DiMarco was Group 33, featuring Sergio Garcia and Shaun Micheel. A decent sized galley was gathering around the fourth hole because there were only two groups left for the day. One of those groups included Tiger Woods - enough said. The Sergio Garcia Fashion Buzzsaw continued to cut through Chicagoland. On Sunday he looked like a Washington Redskin cheerleader. I learned later he was dressed in the colors of the Spanish flag. Garcia had an outside chance to win this event. Could he recapture that magic he showed during his coming out party at the PGA Championship in Medinah seven years ago? He showed some bursts of greatness but that was it. Garcia is still chasing that first major championship and the golf world is still mesmerized by his pants. While I was sitting on four, after getting yelled at by an overzealous Medinah volunteer, I could hear the buzz in the crowd starting to build. (Note to self - next time you attend a golf event make sure you stay within arm's length of the gallery rope. You are member of the Tiger Woods' paparazzi, not a golfer in a major championship. The man in the silly straw hat will be sure to remind you.)  I'm Tiger Woods and You're Not (Getty) Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the main event! It's the only golfer who matters - it's Tiger Woods! Watching Tiger Woods cut a path to the tee dressed in his Sunday red, is one of the most impressive displays in golf When Tiger birdied the sixth hole, I was in the middle of the Tiger paparazzi scrum. I then heard several writers say "Game over. It's time to go back to the media tent and write my lede." Game over. Sorry Luke.
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Subject: Twenty Seven Pounds of Silver for One Pound of Flesh
Time: 11:38:53 AM EDT
Author: sblcraig
When you walk into the Medinah Country Club underneath a giant green banner that welcomes you to the 88th PGA Championship, you will see a large silver trophy. It's the Wanamaker Trophy. In 1916 at the first PGA Championship, Rodman Wanamaker donated the trophy to the PGA. It is not a tongue-twister to say "PGA Championship Trophy," so the trophy was quickly named the Wanamaker Trophy.
You won't hold the Wanamaker this year Phil. Now please give it back. (Getty)
The first PGA Championship took place on the outskirts of the Catskill Mountains in New York, and the name of the trophy gave way to such jokes that all ended with "Wanamaker? I wanna marry her" punch line.
The Wanamaker is a 27-pound silver cup that bears the names of the 87 other previous winners. One of those would look really nice on your mantle. How do you think Jack Nicklaus feels? He's won the PGA Championship a record five times.
It turns out Jack doesn't have five of them sitting on his mantle. The Wanamaker Trophy is much like my prom date from high school - it's for show only.
The PGA will gladly sell the winner a replica trophy - it's about 10 percent smaller then the real deal and will set the champ back about 35 grand.
The Wanamaker looks like Barry Bonds in Pittsburgh Pirates uniform compared to the Masters' trophy. Since everything is bigger in Augusta, the Masters' trophy weighs in at 132-pounds. You can take the green jacket home, but the trophy stays in the clubhouse.
All of the majors offer the winner a replica of the trophy. John Daly says he paid $6,000 for his Claret Jug. Do you think the Claret Jug can hold 12 ounces of beer?
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Saturday, August 19, 2006
Subject: It's Tiger's World
Time: 6:34:32 PM EDT
Author: sblcraig
There are certain things you expect in life. You expect a martini to be shaken, not stirred. You expect to lose at least one sock when you do laundry and you expect Tiger Woods to be on top of the leaderboard headed into the final round on Sunday.
Bartender – serve me up a drink and then go buy some new socks because all is right in the world.
The sporting world has never seen anything like the Tiger Woods Experience. We’ve been saying this for 10 years, but like a Beatles song – it never gets old.
Chris Riley was Tiger’s partner for Saturday’s play. He’s shot a 1-over-par and he walking around like he just won the lottery. Was he so giddy because he had the best view of watching Tiger play? I think you actually had to be at the tournament on Saturday to watch Riley play because he was invisible to the CBS cameras.
Mike Weir tied the competitive course record at Medinah with a round of 65. The crowd at Medinah almost noticed. Then Tiger Woods did it and everyone noticed.
Tiger Woods is in the collective skull of every other golfer on the tour. He has every golfer running scared. When asked about Tiger most golfer’s will dance around the question and slip into spin cliché mode by saying something like “There are a lot of great players out here.”
No one has the intestinal fortitude to challenge Tiger. We all know that Tiger was raised by a Green Beret. Tiger has that killer instinct that other players seem to lack.
Sunday will be a lot fun.
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Subject: Practice Time and Fashion Crimes
Time: 5:00:59 PM EDT
Author: sblcraig
The most relaxing phrase in sports is "I'm going to hit a bucket of balls."
Next time you are stressed out at work because your co-worker's collection of McFarlane sports action figures has officially invaded your personal space inside your cubical; just say the phrase "bucket of balls" over and over. It's more relaxing then any yoga class.
Late Saturday morning I wandered over to the practice green to watch the pros smack a bucket of balls. I was not the only person at Medinah who had this idea.
The first group I watched included Tim Clark, Adam Scott, Woody Austin (who might just have the best name in golf) and Ian Poulter.
Ian Poulter continues to commit crimes against the fashion world. Today he was wearing a bright pink shirt and purple pants. It would be a really cute outfit if Poulter was a two-year-old girl. If he wears this outfit anywhere outside a golf course, he'd probably be shooting a pilot for a television show on Bravo. Poulter also likes to sport pants that resemble the Union Jack. This is a great move if you are the drummer for Def Leppard. It's a tragic fashion mistake anywhere else.
Later the crowd watched Sergio Garcia, Ben Curtis, Geoff Ogilvy and the man who is king.
Watch out golf world - Sergio Garcia is dressed like a golfer today. I mentioned this to Kevin Maguire and he said "Sergio is wearing white pants. You can't be a man in white pants."
Ben Curtis received the loudest cheers from the crowd. Well, it was the loudest cheer for any golfer not named Eldrick. Ben Curtis has a sponsorship deal with Reebok. He wears the colors and logo of the local professional football team. Let's just say the people of Chicago love their Bears. The reaction of the crowd to Curtis' outfit was far more favorable then when he wore Baltimore Ravens' colors to an event in Maryland. The event was in suburban Washington - where the Redskins rule the roost. Curtis was booed the entire time until he changed into burgundy and gold.
Tiger Woods once again showed why he is the world's most focused golfer. Tiger is a golf machine. The fans go nuts for Tiger, shouting funny things like 'Did you sleep at Jordan's house last night?' If Tiger had rabbit ears he would be cracking up. Maybe not like Sergio Garcia did on Friday when a fan said something to him in Spanish, but some of these guys are pretty creative.
When Tiger walked back to the clubhouse with his caddie and two armed police officers he looked like he was ready to go to war. His shirt was soaked with sweat. A few minutes later he popped out of the clubhouse to practice his putts before he teed off. He had on a crisp clean dry shirt - but it was identical to the one he was wearing on the practice range!
This means there is a guy in Tiger's entourage who is solely responsible for Tiger's wardrobe. This has to be someone from Nike, don't you think? What you think Tiger's suitcase looks like when he packs for a major? He must bring 16 shirts including four red ones for Sunday. Why hasn't Tiger's stylist done any press? America has the right to know.
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Subject: Albatross Spotted in Chicagoland
Time: 12:27:57 PM EDT
Author: sblcraig
My colleague and fellow blogger Kevin Maguire is a dimple-head. He lives and breathes golf. When the big boss doled out this assignment, Kevin was like a pig in you-know-what when he was informed he should pack his bags for suburban Chicago.
Maguire did a heck of a job for AOL blogging the Masters earlier this year. Then he hit the jackpot and won a lottery for the chance to play Augusta. He spent nearly has much money in the Augusta clubhouse as Phil Mickelson wins each week "investing" in the NFL. When found out he could play Medinah on Monday, he considered having his wife FedEx his golf clubs to Chicago.
The other day while we waited to catch the media bus I said "I wonder if we will see a condor this year." Mr. Dimple-Head said "What's a condor? That is not a golf term." I then told him it's the rarest shot in golf - a four-under par. I know this because I recently read a golf rule book.
It turns out the condor is the Lock Ness Monster of golf. People have heard about it, no one has ever seen one. According to the people at the PGA the rarest shot in golf is called an albatross. I will give the PGA the benifit of the doubt. I should also stop using wikipedia as a source. Never trust anything that anyone with an Intenet connection can update.
The albatross has seen for only the third time in PGA Championship history. Joey Sindelar recorded a double eagle on the 537-yard No. 5 hole. He hit a 3-wood from 241 yards.
Sindelar joins other household names like Darrell Kestner and Per-Ulrick Johansson.
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Friday, August 18, 2006
Subject: Inside the Ropes with Tiger and Phil (and the Guy Who Won the US Open)
Time: 7:34:34 PM EDT
Author: sblcraig
There were 52 groups playing golf on Friday at the Medinah Country Club, but only group mattered to the people. It's not everyday the winners of the year's Masters, US Open and British Open play together - unless it's the first two days of the PGA Championship.
I was inside the ropes for the first six holes of the Woods, Ogilvy and Mickelson Magical Mystery Tour. The gallery crowds following this group bordered on unmanageable. The fans were 50 deep on the first tee. Some fans had been camped out since 6:30 am, so they had a nice seat when this group teed off. To put this in perspective - one guy staked his claim to the second tee and waited for 8 hours to watch a guy hit a golf ball, which took 30 seconds tops.
Since we are in Chicago, one fan not named Steve Bartman, saved Tiger Woods' tee shot off the first hole. The strangest part of the day occurred at the fourth hole when I heard several fans yell "Look Tiger Woods is going to the bathroom!" They have several Port-a-Potties along the course marked "Players Only." When nature calls, nature calls.
The Chicago golf fans are in awe of Tiger Woods. But they love Phil Mickelson. There is a different vibe from the gallery when each guy hits the ball. They want Mickelson to do well, they expect Woods to do well.
While I was trailing Phil I heard the following comments from the crowd:
"Hey Phil - Who's your Super Bowl pick?!?"
"Yo Phil - How do you think the Bears will be this year? Can I get some odds?"
"Mickey - What's the over/under on the Bears this year? Do you have any Masterlock picks for Week 1? You can call 'em 'Masterlocks' because you won the Masters."
"Phil - Do you want to be in my fantasy football league?"
Phil's caddie, Jim 'Bones' MacKay is a bad-ass. Don't dare snap a digital picture of Phil, or Bones will hunt you down like a dog. Digital cameras are kryptonite to golf's Supermen. Medinah is in the flight path of a major Chicago international airport. There are planes landing and taking off every few minutes. These planes are very loud. I actually saw Tiger pause a couple times until the jet passed, yet I am supposed to believe the click of camera will mess up Phil's shot?
On the third hole Bones called out a digital camera in the crowd from 30 yards away. He yelled, "Marshall, Marshall. I've got a digital camera on the lady in pink. She's standing right next to the man in a blue shirt. Please remove her camera." MacKay should work the TSA - nothing is getting past that man.
When attending a golf major, you see a lot of people in straw hats that have volunteered for the event. They come from all across the country. They work crowd control, help people find the beer tent and hold up the player scoreboard. The man working the scoreboard Friday for group 36 (the Tiger, Phil and the guy who won the US Open group) was named Tony. Tony could be your grandfather and if he wasn't at the PGA Championship on Sunday could very well spend Sunday making a giant pot of spaghetti sauce.
Tony is well aware he has a great view of the action. "I tell all my friends Tiger and Phil picked me to hold the scoreboard because I bring them good luck," he whispered on the fifth hole.
Guys named Stenson, Andrade and Donald are at top of the leaderboard headed into the weekend. Let's see if the crowds will follow them.
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Subject: Friday Morning in Medinah
Time: 2:30:24 PM EDT
Author: sblcraig
I spent some of Friday morning walking the back nine at Medinah. I had to get out of the giant warehouse that is being used to house the media. I'm probably breaking some media law by letting this information out, but what the hell, I'm a blogger. There are giant screens playing live coverage of the tournament. Volunteers are updating the player board in real time. The PGA is charging an arm and a leg for wireless broadband access, but everyone has to purchase it because we all need to be connected to the Internet. How would we listen to the latest Sports Bloggers Live podcast? Let's just say that some of the savvy scribes will never break a sweat while covering this tournament. The media tent is air-conditioned, you can watch the tournament on your laptop, or you can look up at the movie screen that is showing the TV coverage.
The journalist sitting next to me is from Australia. He works for the Australian Associated Press. He uses AOL as an ISP and when he logged on I heard his computer say: "Welcome. You have mail." The voice did not have an Aussie accent. I am so disappointed.
It was a bit overcast this morning, but the sun ended up shining late morning. Then it started to get hot. There were a number of sweaty backs on the course. Who says golfers aren't athletes? They have to battle the elements just like any other jock and they have to wear long pants while doing it! The world is a better place if we don't see John Daly's knees. Just trust me on that one.
The crowds seemed pretty thin this morning. The US Open champion and those two other guys don't tee off until 2:30 local time. I was bummed I missed my namesake Craig Thomas. Thomas is a club pro from New York and it's a good bet we will be headed home after today's round. It's probably safe to say that he'll still get a good night's sleep - which more than I can say. I'm staying at the local hotel about 10 minutes from the course and I'm lucky enough to be sleeping in a room next to a couple who are apparently honeymooning in Schaumburg, Il. The walls are thin at the Marriott. They have to be newlyweds, not married or on the down-low because IT'S BEEN THREE DAYS. You are stud guy - now please let the rest of the fifth floor get some sleep this weekend.
A champion doesn't wear orange pants. (Getty)
This is what I saw while in the flight path of the O'Hare International Airport.
Shigeki Maruyama had a nasty bogey on Hole 16. (He's the Japanese golfer who does not favor cowboy hats.) In the middle of the fairway he left a divot the size of a Frisbee. His caddy ended up a good 50 yards or so behind him because he had to fix the divot. Then he had to sprint to catch up with Maruyama. It's not easy run while lugging golf clubs, but it sure is entertaining to watch.
I overheard one fan (who sounded a lot like Elwood Blues) say he couldn't wait to see what "Sergio Garciaparra" was wearing today. His buddy then said "Don't you mean Sergio Garcia?" It was then decided "Garciaparra" would have to purchase the next round of refreshing adult beverages for the group. When you have a stack of empty beer cups in your possession before noon, it is going to be a fun day. Garcia is wearing a pair of pants that would make any University of Tennessee alum burst with pride. He looks like a traffic cone. Hey, at least he didn't dress like Tweety Bird this time. Remember the final round of the Open Championship? Garcia was paired with Tiger Woods. One guy looked like he was dressed to win a major championship and one guy was dressed like a banana. You could say the Tiger ate the canary that day.
After Garcia teed off on 16, he started crunching on an apple. John Daly routinely smokes butts on the course during downtime, so at least Garcia is doing something healthy. It was just surreal to watch him eat an apple. He was eating the apple like a 5-year-old. He wasn't taking big bites; instead he was eating it like it was corn on the cob. That said, an apple would go rotten in the media center because all the golf scribes are too busy gorging themselves on the free ice cream sandwiches.
The day we start talking about Garcia's golf game and stop talking about his fashion flair is the day he'll compete for a major championship.
Moving down to 15, I had the chance to see one of golf's big young hitters, J.B. Holmes. It should be noted that Holmes first name is John. Yes - his name is John Holmes. Why didn't his parents just name him Ron Jeremy? I know parents like to keep the name secret while the child is in utero - but come on! It is incredible cruel to name your child after a 70's porn star. No one can live up to those expectations, except maybe the guy who has the hotel room next to me.
When Holmes walked past the crowd the retrieve his shot a group of well-lubricated twenty-somethings pointed and laughed "There's John Holmes!"
The People's Champion, John Daly moved on through after Holmes' group. Vijay Singh is part of that three-some. Vijay's caddie had the expression of teenager who was told he can't take the car out this weekend. He's probably thinking, "I have to walk 18 holes with this guy and then we are going to spend another six hours on the practice greens."
Daly out drove the entire group, but he can't putt to save his life. He also smoked at least two cigarettes before completing play. He's like Eddie Van Halen in his prime.
The main event is this afternoon when Tiger, Phil and the guy who won the US Open tee off again. They are playing the late round, so the crowd should be good and ready (and slightly or heavily buzzed.)
The over/under on "You da man!" chats currently stands at 75.
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Thursday, August 17, 2006
Subject: Who's Got the Edge?
Time: 11:43:39 AM EDT
Author: sblcraig
In the world of professional golf Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are twin suns, just like Luke Skywalker's backwater desert home planet of Tatooine. Tiger and Phil are what astronomers call a binary star system. If the PGA press started referring to "Tigerandphil," it wouldn't be a surprise. It might actually be easier to call them Tigerandphil or Philandtiger - depending on who is having the better month. Golf fans either root for Tiger Woods or they root for Phil Mickelson. They do not cheer for both. If your favorite golfer is "Tigerandphil," your other favorite teams are probably the New York Yankees, the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Lakers. You are a front-running fan and real sports fans hate you. I'm sorry to be the one who had to break it to you.  The twin suns of the PGA Tiger and Phil. (AP)It's well known in golf circles that Phil and Tiger are the Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie of the tour. Except they have talent. They can't stand each other, but they will show up at the same place and collect large sums of money. Sponsorship drives professional golf, like to does all other sports. Tiger might not thank Nike after each victory like Jeff Gordon thanks Dupont and the 700 other sponsors splattered all over his car after each race, but it is close. Who wins the showdown battle between Tiger and Phil? Let's take a look and break it down. As always, feel free to throw in your own comments. CaddieTiger: Steve Williams Phil: Jim 'Bones' MacKay Edge: Phil. You have to respect a guy name 'Bones.' While never proven, I'm convinced Steve Williams is the type of guy who would scare little children at Halloween. Major Automotive SponsorTiger: Buick Phil: Ford Edge: Phil. It's a fact Phil drives his little ragamuffins to karate and dance practices in his Ford Explorer. I have a feeling Tiger has a garage full of Buicks and the odometer reads 000005. Isn't Tiger Woods way too young to drive a Buick? Don't you have to knocking on heaven's door to drive a Buick? Strategic Consulting FirmsTiger: Accenture Phil: BearingPoint Edge: Tiger. BearingPoint sounds likesomething that would be found on one Tiger's Buick's that he never drives.
The DriverTiger: Nike Driver Phil: Callaway Driver Edge: Phil. Tiger's never won a major with his driver. Expensive Watch SponsorTiger: TAG Heuer Phil: Rolex Edge: Push
The Better HalfTiger: Elin Phil: Amy Edge: Tiger. We are convinced both of these fine ladies would ignore us in a bar and Amy's cute and all - but Elin is a former bikini model and she's from Sweden. Game over. Viva Las VegasTiger: Routinely hold his charity event 'Tiger Jam' in the Neon City. Once bet LSU alum David Toms 100 bucks on the 2004 Sugar Bowl when LSU played Oklahoma. Toms collected a crisp Benjamin from Tiger. Phil: Famously placed a pre-season bet on the Ravens to win Super Bowl XXXV. In 2001, a national sports web site located in Bristol, Conn. posted Mickelson's weekly picks for National Football League games to its Web site, even listing a Phil "lock" of the week for one game that he recommended highly to gamblers. Edge: Phil. We love to see either guy at a blackjack table, but we have a soft spot in hearts for guys who can pick winning football game. So if when you break it down it looks like Phil will finish better then Tiger at the PGA Championship, but only if you take into account sponsors, better halves and football gambling preferences.
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Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Subject: America's School Girl Crush on John Daly
Time: 5:53:31 PM EDT
Author: sblcraig
America loves John Daly. It's as simple as that. We love a man who appears on the cover of a national magazine with the headline "WHEN WILL I EVER STOP PARTYING?!?" Daly has that everyman quality about him; it almost makes you forget how he has wasted so much of his talent. He could be one of the PGA's elite golfers - instead he has become a frat boy punch line.
Big swings and bigger bellies during the practice round at Medinah.
I had the chance to watch some Daly's practice round on Wednesday. His practice partner was Jason Gore. I am not exaggerating when I say these two guys could easily be the starting left side of the Chicago Bears offensive line. There was 500 pounds of big swinging on the Medinha course.
Jason Gore's official weight on PGA.com is listed at 235 the only thing that is further from the truth is John Daly's official weight is listed at 220. Jason Gore has to have the widest back in professional golf. Small children could use his back as a trampoline. If Gore wasn't a golfer, he would be Britney Spears' bodyguard.
Wednesdays are the unofficial autograph day at pro golfing events. You see people wearing ball caps with golfers' signatures scribbled on the brim. Fans are holding flags just waiting for that one magical signature. You hear someone shout "There's Vijay," and then you see a group of teenagers chasing down a golfer from Fiji. Somehow he manages to sign his name on a golf ball - which is no small feat.
People are naturally drawn to the oversized personality of Daly. Daly pretty much signs everything thrown his way. This includes women's breasts, for better or for worse I saw no evidence of breasts being signed at the PGA Championship. Daly has the "walk and sign" down pat, as do most professional players. He has this funny move where he will sign a hat and then just throw it over his head. It's like Tommy Lee just threw his drumstick into the crowd. You just hope no one gets hurt and the poor kid who dropped $35 for a hat eventually gets it back.
I walked with Daly and Gore for most of their front nine practice round. Daly can still hit the ball a long way and he does it with a Marlboro dangling from his lips. When you watch Daly play, you notice that the grips on his club are bright pink. He's raising money for breast cancer research. It's ironic that John Daly will be playing this week with Vijay because by all accounts Vijay hates women. One could make a cheap joke that the reason Daly is raising money for breast cancer research is because he is the only golfer on tour that will sign a women's chest. That however would be tasteless.
If there was a People's Champion in golf, Daly would win it every year. It makes one wonder why America loves Daly so much. Do we love him because he is so flawed? This is the same guy who was once sponsored by an ice cream company and a weight-loss company at the same time. Do we love him because there is always room in our hearts for a chain-smoking, Jack Daniels-drinking, peanut M&M-eating, diet cola-loving, high stakes slot-machine playing golfer who can hit the dimpled ball a ton?
Maybe America loves John Daly because America loves a good party. But we also love to watch a train go off the tracks.
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