John Daly making PGA Tour Champions debut this week in Houston
John Daly is entering the next phase of his professional golf career on Friday, making his first start on PGA Tour Champions at this week’s Insperity Invitational near Houston.
Daly turned 50 on April 28, making him eligible for the circuit. The two-time major winner could be a boon for the tour, which should see an infusion of interest from somewhat casual golf fans who have continued to follow Daly through his personal ups and downs and professional up-and-downs.
This is also an opportunity for Daly to put a bookend on his career, a showcase to share some of the talent he said Tuesday he squandered in the prime of his life.
“I think I wasted my talent in the ’90s, especially towards the later part of the ’90s,” he said. “All the money was coming in, and I didn’t work hard enough at it. I didn’t do the right things to prepare myself to win golf tournaments. That’s definitely on me, and I admit that. But that’s just not the case anymore for me. I’m just kind of a grinder now, but I think my mental attitude is 10 times better than it was in the ’90s.”
Daly made a comeback in the early 2000s, winning at Torrey Pines in a playoff in 2004, then losing in a playoff in Houston in ’05 before getting into a playoff with Tiger Woods at the WGC-American Express Championship. He got to 17th in the Official World Golf Ranking after that playoff loss in San Francisco. And it’s at that point that Daly’s physical ailments started piling up.
“I thought things were going to get better and better, but the elbow started deteriorating, the knee started going out, feet were getting bad, shoulder was still hurting,” he said. “It was one thing after another.”
But, that’s the past. Daly is looking to write another, perhaps a final, chapter starting this week — beginning with some modest goals.
“I’m not looking to do anything great this week here at Insperity in Houston, I’m just happy to be playing and getting a feel for it,” he said. “You never know what can happen, but the game is not where I want it to be by any means, but I think getting some tournaments under my belt, some competitive rounds, I think it’ll come around.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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