ESPN Golf Online: 1999 U.S. Open: Notebook: Daly admits to $51 million in gambling losses

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Friday, Jun. 18
Notebook: Daly admits to $51 million in gambling losses

ESPN Golf Online
PINEHURST, N.C. -- Possibly hoping to rid himself of more demons, John Daly admitted to a group of reporters after his surprising round of 68 Thursday that he had lost $51 million gambling in the mid-1990s.

Daly

Daly is well known for his ongoing battle with alcoholism. From withdrawing from numerous tournaments to being hauled away from the 1997 Players Championship in an ambulance to suffering delirium tremens while playing in Vancouver last year, he hasn't hidden his love-hate relationship with the bottle. He has never been one to shy away from talking about his latest rehab program.
But this revelation, prior to his round of 77 Friday, was a shocker.
"It helps me to talk about it," he said. "The (recovery) program says I'm not supposed to, but I need to."
Daly said he won $42 million gambling during a three- to four-year period in the mid-'90s, but at the same time he lost $51 million. He recently sold a Mercedes and his house in California to help pay for $40,000 in monthly alimony.
Contracts with Wilson, Reebok and Callaway have helped, but it was a deep, $9 million hole he was digging out of, and endorsement deals haven't been coming his way as he struggles both on and off the golf course of late.
"I have to make my money out here (on the PGA Tour) now," said Daly, 33. "It's not like when I had money coming in from other places."
Daly said the $51 million disappeared in huge chunks. He recalled a couple of times sitting at blackjack tables with $220,000 riding on a single hand. He also bet on football, sometimes placing $50,000 on a single game.
He said he didn't bet on golf, but he wishes he had put money on himself at the 1995 British Open, when he won as an 80-to-1 longshot.
"It's the fast action," Daly explained of the compulsion. "I've always liked the fast action. It was kind of a substitute for (drinking), I guess."
Pulling out
Three-time U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin withdrew Friday after his second shot on the seventh hole because of a left shoulder injury. Irwin shot a 6-over 76 on Thursday and was at 2-over through six holes Friday.
Irwin had been feeling a twinge in the shoulder over the past several weeks, and it started getting progressively worse Friday.

"This is the first time I've ever withdrawn from a tournament in my career," he said. "This is something new for me, but I want to do the smart thing. They told me in the fitness trailer that it might be a rotator cuff, maybe just some inflamation."
He joined Jose Maria Olazabal in leaving early. Olazabal had to pull out after breaking a bone in his right hand punching a hotel wall Thursday night. Olazabal, who tried to swing a club Friday before withdrawing, had an opening-round 75.

Get ready for whining
There was a little grumbling Friday about some of the hole locations set by the USGA. But from the sound of things, there will be plenty of whining about where holes are located on the fast, slippery greens over the weekend.
A lot of the players talked about having noticed where USGA officials put small paint "dots" on the greens, signifying where the grounds crew is to cut the holes each morning.
"Hank kept telling me as we came to each green, 'Look at this pin, look at this pin,' " said defending Open champion Lee Janzen, who had amateur Hank Kuehne in his group Thursday. "But I kept saying to him, 'wait until tomorrow.'
"I saw where they had the dots, and there are going to be some tough ones. And I thought they could have put some of them closer to the edges than they already have, too."
"Wait until you see No. 16 tomorrow," said Jim Furyk, whose 3-over 73 Friday put him at 2-over going into the weekend. "You'll enjoy that one. It's a doozy."
This amateur is still Open
Kuehne, the defending U.S. Amateur champion, may hit the ball a long way, but he admitted Friday he has a lot to learn as a golfer.
The 23-year-old, who plans to turn pro Monday after the U.S. Open, started the second round Friday with a perfect tee shot, and had a wedge to the green. He ended up with a triple-bogey 7 after having his chip shot roll back to his feet and then three-putting.
Kuehne birdied the difficult second hole, bogeyed the easy No. 3 and birdied the next two and ended his roller coaster round with a 5-over-par 75. He was the only one of six amateurs in the field to make the cut, carding 147 over the two days.
"He played some really good shots, and when he hits it straight it makes the play easier because he's so long. And I was impressed with his touch," said Janzen. "He hit some pretty sorry shots, too, which I think he would admit to."
Just how long is Kuehne? After the first two rounds he ranked sixth in the field in driving distance at 282 yards. No. 1 was Tiger Woods at 286.3 yards. Other notables included John Daly at No. 2 (286) and David Duval at No. 4 (282.8).
Long arm of the law
Curtis Strange attended college at Wake Forest, and he accidently renewed acquaintances with an old friend here this week. Strange, while chatting with some North Carolina State Troopers acting as guards near the players' locker-room entrance, recalled getting a speeding ticket about 20 years ago in nearby Lee County.
"At least I think it was 20 years ago," Strange said, stretching to remember.
"Yep, it was," said Garland Roth, one of the Troopers. "I was the one who gave it to you."
Divots

The record for number of players to make the cut at the U.S. Open is 108, set in 1996 at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. This year, 68 made the cut. The U.S. Open takes the top 60 scores and ties, plus anyone else who is within 10 strokes of the leader.

Colin Montgomerie, who shot his second straight 72, said he shot at only one pin the entire round. "I was quite defensive, which you have to be out here," he said of Pinehurst No. 2's greens and pin placements.

Payne Stewart is the only golfer to be under par both of the first two days. After 23 sub-par rounds and 11 even-par rounds Thursday, there were only three and nine, respectively, Friday.

Ask Thomas Bjorn (148), Mathias Gronberg (148) and Glen Day (149) how much tougher the course was Friday than Thursday. All three opened with even-par 70s and then missed the cut.