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SALTIRE ENERGY PAUL LAWRIE MATCH PLAY

July 29, 2015

John Daly

Aberdeen, Scotland

Q. So talk us through your time since St. Andrews. What have you done between now and then?
JOHN DALY: We flew back to see the kids for five days and then came back over. We don't like to leave them more than two weeks.

Q. What do you make of this event in this part of the world? You've never been up to Aberdeen, have you?
JOHN DALY: No, I never have. Always heard good things about Royal Aberdeen and all that. This is the first time I've been up here. It's beautiful. It's a different style golf course. It's tight to hit the fairways but it's not too tight to play the golf course, if that makes any sense.

Q. And what do you think of the match-play format? Is that something you've done much of?
JOHN DALY: I've only played our match play in the States a few times, maybe three or four times. Back then when I played, you had to win a tournament to get in it. Now it's World Rankings, and I think I've played it in maybe once, so maybe three times. I love playing match play. I just wish we played more of them.

Q. Are there a few holes out there that you can drive?
JOHN DALY: Yeah, if you get lucky and hit it straight enough to land it in the fairway; but if you miss it, it's not going to roll at all like it's rolling in the fairway. You miss in the rough, the rough's brutal.

Q. Do you use the driver much?
JOHN DALY: Yeah, you almost have to for me. Get it down there, at least you can get it close to the green somehow if you miss the fairway.

Q. There's a different psychology to the match-play format. Is that something you relish?
JOHN DALY: Yeah, I love it. It's something we don't get to do much. I love the Stableford format system, too, which is fun. Match play here, it's weird, because you're almost better off hitting second, because there's so many holes out here, if you're hitting first and you're hitting a bad drive, the guy could just rip a 5-iron down there. Because if you get in the bad, bad stuff, it's hard to get it out. It's a lot of strategy to it.

Q. Do you like to get inside the other guy's head or do you just focus on what you do?
JOHN DALY: No, just hope we give each other 10-footers all day, that would be good. No, I don't do that.

Q. You were bemoaning the fact that your clubs didn't arrive. Did you manage to get them across?
JOHN DALY: Yeah, thank God for Alex, Alexis, she works for ball and them and the tournament, got a hold of them and they had a flight to bring them to Edinburgh. And then my son and his friend Chris drove all the way to Edinburgh after driving seven and a half hours yesterday, drove back to Edinburgh and got them. Doesn't make sense, we had a seven-hour lay over in Chicago, four-hour lay over in Dublin, how do the clubs not get on the plane. It's only been Aer Lingus. I have not lost luck age in 25 years and twice with Aer Lingus.

Q. What do you make of the kids coming through, the John Dalys and the world and wanting to be John Daly; is there anyone that people can aspire to being a character or getting a little bit robotic at the moment?
JOHN DALY: I don't know, it's tough. I think kids look at guys who are winning, like Jordan Spieth, you're going to have a lot of kids -- it's about people who win. Kids are going to be attached to them. Rickie Fowler has got a great, great personality and he's young and he wears that big hat that the kids like. You know, that draws attention to kids. But I think kids want to see -- I grew up playing the game because of Jack Nicklaus because he was awesome but he won. I think kids look at players that are winning, and whether they, you know, they just like them. But there's so many stars out on Tours now all over the world, it's pretty strong.

Q. A lot of young Americans at the moment coming through?
JOHN DALY: Very strong Americans, Jason Day, Rickie, Jordan Spieth. There's a ton of them, but there's also a ton of European youngsters that are playing great.

Q. The winning aspect is important. Do you think it's also important with golf characters like yourself and Miguel Ãngel JimÃ©nez as kind of a European guy that we would consider to be, if you like, a slightly different character; do you think it's important to have guys like that?
JOHN DALY: I think it is. It's personalities, charisma, characters. I'm one of those guys you don't know what the hell I'm going to do. I'm either going to piss you off or make you happy. But that's me. I can't deny it and that's just the way I've always been. It seems like golf is kind of -- it is a little bit robotic in the sense that everybody wears a hat pretty much now, which the sponsors, they pay good money for that. I've just never been one to wear a hat. I've tried it. I get headaches; I sweat a lot. I can wear a hat when it's real cold, but I can't wear a hat when it's hot. I guess massive, massive headaches.

Q. What do you know about Miguel? Have your paths crossed much over the years?
JOHN DALY: Yeah, we've talked a little bit. He's a trip off the course. He's a blast. He drinks wine. He drinks the women's product. I drink a man's drink (laughter). I always kid him about that. He loves his wine and his cigars, which is great.

Q. Many times spent with him at night? Any memories?
JOHN DALY: Not really a strong night of a binge drinking of six or seven-hour binge drinking, a proper one, nothing like that. But we've had a few drinks together.

Q. This being match-play format, it was always felt you were a big miss from the US Ryder Cup Team. Is that something that you feel you should have brought --
JOHN DALY: I thought I was going to get picked, like '91, '95 after winning the British, I started playing good later in the year. 2004 would have been a great year because I was very, very consistent. It was my best year I ever had on the PGA Tour in aspects of money earnings and Top-10s and stuff, and I still didn't get a pick. So, I don't know. It is what it is. If I'd played better, I could have played myself on the team. That's my fault more than anything. But it would have been nice to have played one just to see what it feels like.

Q. Do you regret not having played in it?
JOHN DALY: Well, I can't regret it because I never made the team. I was hoping that maybe one of the captains would have picked me over the years but you've got to play good and you don't play good enough to get on it, you know, it's mainly my fault for not getting in there in the Top-12.

Q. When you look, there's been a criticism that maybe The European Team are a bit livelier in the team room and have more of a bit of an atmosphere. Do you think that's something you could have brought to the American Team room?
JOHN DALY: It just seems that way. I don't know all the facts and everything that goes on behind the doors when the captain is talking and everything, but I sense it; it's my opinion, that the European guys get along better. Let's say, Paul McGinley, look, Sergio, would you rather play with Rory in that match -- I think the European captains will give those guys an option. I don't know if our captains do that or not. I would think they would but it just seems like whoever is playing on The European Team, they all get along great. It seems like the American Team might get along but I don't know if they really, you know, are getting along, you know what I mean. When I see it on TV, it just looks like our guys are not having a good time.

Q. Who do you reckon next year?
JOHN DALY: I think it's going to be a good one. It's going to be tight. Paul Azinger, we all know what a great captain he was, and Darren's first go at it but he has plenty of experience. He has plenty of experience under some great captains. I think it's going to be one of the best Ryder Cups we've ever seen to be honest with you.

Q. Given there's been a big postmortem after last year and trying to rip out the rule book and start again, do you think you would be a good vice captain to bring something back into that team room that's different?
JOHN DALY: It would be fun. I would hopefully one day be a captain. I don't know if I fit the mold. I don't know if I fit what The PGA of America would want, which I could accept that.

Q. But if they are breaking the mold as they are talking about doing, do you think it could be a realistic option to maybe look at that?
JOHN DALY: All I know is my team if I was a captain, we'd have a blast. I'd make sure they had a blast. You don't want to wear a tie, don't wear a tie. Have fun. It's supposed to be fun. I think we just get wrapped up in it. I think when you're favored to win so many years like the Americans have, I think we get uptight. We've been favored, even the matches that we are getting killed in, we are favored in. I think we put too much pressure on ourselves. Just go out and play golf. It's great to play for your country, but it's still a gentleman's game at the end. The rumor I've heard is we haven't been going to the parties after the tournament, which the Europeans from what I've heard, they go to every party on Sunday after it's over to congratulate the Americans for winning. I think we need to always do that as Americans to say there and, look, they beat us, we have to accept that and let's go party and have a few drinks with them and congratulate them. I've heard rumours some of our teams haven't done that and I think that's a shame.

Q. I think Rickie Fowler does.
JOHN DALY: I think some of the guys went. But I think as a team, they should all go as a team. And Rickie doesn't even drink.
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