THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 24, 1998

John Daly

JOHN DALY: No.

JOHN DALY: I don't know. That's pretty awesome. I didn't know I was that good in putting.

JOHN DALY: I'm pretty -- game's pretty good. Feel real good coming here, finally with some confidence, I've never done that before. So the golf course here is in just -- it's the best shape - I think all the guys would agree - it's the best shape it's ever been in. The added tees have made it play a little longer, which is kind of nice, too. I'm looking forward to this week.

JOHN DALY: My game, everything seems to be almost where I want it, all the aspects of my game are pretty solid. Really, that's kind of a nice feeling to have, trust in my swing and my shots. It makes it a lot more fun to play, I guess you could say. When you've got confidence, you feel like even when you don't hit a good shot, still gets down like I'm going to get it up-and-down, I'll be able to do it, except for last week on No. 6. I tried my hardest. I just couldn't get it over the water. But, I'm pretty happy with the way my game is right now.

JOHN DALY: It's humorous. I mean, I've been playing good all year. It's the first time I've actually lost my patience, I guess you could say. But I was determined to get it over the water. I had 270 to carry, and I was trying to hit that 3-wood over it. The bad thing about it was it was so close to getting over it. Every single time it made me even more mad in a way to keep trying to do it. But after it was said and done, it was. It was pretty funny. Then coming back on 7 and making a birdie, it looks like I made a ten and a ten instead of an 18 and a two (laughter). But probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but I just thought I could hit the shot. I was determined to do it.

JOHN DALY: It was Tin Cup is what it was. Everybody was seeing Tin Cup. In a way, it was pretty funny. But the funniest thing, finally get on the green, I'm 30 feet, putting for a 17, and Watson goes, "John, knock it in." (laughter). He was serious about it. We just started laughing. It's funny. After I got done, Tom said, "You know, I've done it before, we've all done it." He says, "I would have bailed out a little quicker than you did." He said, "We've all done it before." It was pretty cool the way he did it. He said, "You've been playing great, just keep it going, that stuff happens." You got to kind of laugh about it.

JOHN DALY: I don't think anybody in the record books today has made an 18 on one hole, so at least I broke a record last week.

JOHN DALY: Stands have been awesome. They've been wonderful. Every tour stop I've been at, they've been really good. It's really nice to step on the tee and the people wanting to see me do well.

JOHN DALY: I think it's because they've all kind of gone through a lot of the same problems I have. You know, mine have just been reported. But there's a lot of people out there, not only suffering with this disease, but have had divorces, that have had the things that happen in their lives. They can relate to me a lot because I'm going through exactly the same thing they are. I feed off of them. It makes golf -- it's really, like I said a long time ago, it's the reason I love to play the game, is because of the fans. They've been behind me a hundred percent.

JOHN DALY: I don't think it was that. I think I just wanted to do it. I just told myself I could do it. You know, if I had dunked the first one in and left it 30 yards short, then, yeah, I would have bailed out right. But missing it by inches every single time made me want to do it even more. But, no, that was my call.

JOHN DALY: It's what they say in the program, definitely a miracle what I've done. I truly believe that. There's always been this angel on my shoulder looking after me for some reason. It's definitely a true miracle. Everybody in my home group at home, well, in Palm Springs, definitely said, where I came in at this time last year, they can't believe it. It's just a total miracle. You know, for me it is a day-to-day thing, no doubt about it. I've learned that. But I'm here to tell you, I feel like I am a miracle.

JOHN DALY: I get tons of support on the golf course. I get tons of support in the meetings I go to. So I've got it wherever. I can find it. That's the greatest thing about being in this program. It's a disease that I can go and talk to people about it, but the scariest part is, it is a day-to-day thing. You know, if I want to go buy my death, I can go to a liquor store and buy it. I think the way I feel today, I'd rather just go to a meeting and talk to people about it. It's the only place I know where I can go and just be honest and people can talk honest and we can relate, relate to the same thing we're going through.

JOHN DALY: It's a totally different situation. Last year I was a walking -- basically, a walking drunk. I didn't know where I was going, basically what I wanted to do. This year, I've got somewhat of a grip on my life on a day-to-day basis. Whether I play good golf here or not, I know that -- I just think about being here this year as to last year, like I said earlier, it's a miracle. My golf game is decent. My life outside of golf is really good. And, I feel good. I mean, granted, I look like Chris Farley, but I don't care right now. I don't care how big I get as long as I stay sober. Hopefully in a year or two, after the cravings - hopefully they'll go away where I don't eat so much. I can't do anything about that right now. All I can do is work on my sobriety on a day-to-day basis.

JOHN DALY: Saturday I'll get it. Very proud. It's my third major, I guess you could say.

JOHN DALY: I don't know. It would be a very special win, there's no doubt about it. But I'm trying, you know, beating demons. I do it every day. I feel like I'm winning something every day that I stay sober. I feel like I'm winning. But it would be pretty awesome, it really would.

JOHN DALY: I don't know. I have a lot of confidence in my golf game. I've yet to find confidence on THE PLAYERS' course. I don't know. There's just so many holes out there, holes like 14, they stretched it out another 30 yards. Say, "Okay, I know I have to hit driver." Used to be in between. I didn't have a 3-wood then, but a 2-iron, take a chance hitting driver. The holes that I had so much problem with, they've lengthened them. It makes it a lot easier on the tee box to say, "Hey, this is what I'm going to hit off this." I don't have to sit there and contemplate. I don't know. I like to go lower than 66, it would be great. But I just like to be consistent. I like to play four good rounds here. Whether it wins or not, just confidence for maybe future years here.

JOHN DALY: Well, the craving of drinking has somewhat stopped in a way. It's the substitute that I deal with each day. You know, when you drink a lot of alcohol and you stop, your body craves sugar. Most people that have the same problem I have crave chocolate. I eat chocolate going out of style. Just eat all the wrong things that you're not supposed to eat, I guess. Because your body wants it and needs it. It's like if you quit smoking, there's other ways of getting nicotine, I guess. A lot of smokers that quit end up chewing tobacco or they chew the gum or whatever. There's still nicotine in it. It's a craving that just, you know -- alcohol -- I don't know. What I've learned, it's harder to quit smoking than it is to quit drinking. To this day, I truly believe that, because I don't want to quit smoking right now. I'll go crazy if I quit smoking.

JOHN DALY: I used to never let a bad round -- whenever I'd play a bad round, I'd never get it out of my mind until I teed it up the next day. And sometimes it still wouldn't go away. Now I'm more at peace with myself. If I have a bad round, it's done, it's gone. I don't dwell on it. I don't think about it. I think that's one really important one. The other one would be, I don't know, I think all in all, outside of golf, I just have so much of a better structure of what I'm going to do after I play. I'll hit some balls, I'll go see movies, play a little guitar, go have dinner or something. Whether I played good or bad, I don't seem to worry about it as much anymore. Or I'll go to a meeting or something. I always got a good schedule planned each day. I used to not do that. You know, I used to know, "Okay, play bad, I'll go to a bar. Play good, I'm not going to hit balls, I hit it good enough today." Things like that I don't do anymore. I think that's the biggest change if you're talking about golf anyway.

JOHN DALY: I don't know. It's a good question. I really don't know.

JOHN DALY: Well, no. Bay Hill has been the only one that's been 16 and 8, I think, in the last few years. It's hard to say. I don't know. The rough is not as bad as it usually is here. It's pretty much down. It's hard to say. It really is.

JOHN DALY: Ever since I've been playing the Callaway driver, I have. The amazing thing about it, I'm hitting it straighter. I mean, it's night and day compared to any other drivers I've ever hit. I mean, I've tried every driver I can think of. For me, that's the one that's definitely gotten the ball out a little further. Actually, it's a lot straighter. .

JOHN DALY: Yeah. That needs to be on a plaque (laughter). Can I get a bonus for that?

JOHN DALY: That's up to you guys. I know I'm going to work real hard to do it. My ultimate goal is just to play good starting on Thursday, just get off to a good start here. I'm not too worried about Augusta yet. This course, for me, has been a challenge ever since I stepped on it, the years that I played. It would be nice to play consistent. I shot 66 here one year, but also I think I threw in a 77 and something like that. I'd like to just be able to even keel, just be real consistent here. I have never done that. Augusta is two weeks away or three weeks away, so I'll worry about that when it comes.

JOHN DALY: Oh, yeah. It will be great. A decision last year, I thought it was the best decision I ever made. At least I gave myself a chance to play in a lot more Masters. If I continued the way I was going last year, I would not only probably not been here this year, but I've given myself a lot more chances to play Augusta.

JOHN DALY: Well, I'm going to prepare for this tournament like any other one. I'm not putting pressure on myself to play good. I feel like I'm going to play good. It's not a cocky attitude. It's nice to go into this tournament feeling like I'm going to play good. Whether I do or not, at least I know I prepared myself for it. But this is a whole new year. It's totally different. The atmosphere is different. I'm doing other things in my life, better for me, outside of golf, than what I did last year. It will just be, I think, a lot more mellow year, mellow tournament for me.

JOHN DALY: Uh-huh, I'll get in a meeting here.

JOHN DALY: You know, for the 25 years of his life he's been out here. I don't think he's ever seen anything written bad about him. I think it hurt him a little bit. But Fuzzy knows he made a big mistake last year. Like I said last week, I hope Fuzzy does the same thing I'm doing today at Augusta. I think it would be good to have him just get, you know -- do it, get it over with, let's move on. Let's not write about it anymore. He can't apologize to Tiger any more than he's already done. I think the best move would be, for him and Tiger to play a practice round at Augusta, just to get this over with. It's old news. Fuzzy's a great, great guy. So is Tiger. You know, you just feel like those two need to maybe play some practice rounds or something together because it's just crazy how this thing's gotten out of hand. They're both too good of people to even keep writing about it really, I think.

JOHN DALY: No, it's not embarrassing. I take full responsibility for what happened last year, but it was a disease. The disease in me made me do that. I hope there won't be a problem like that this year. I'm just happy to be here this year. I mean, I'm on a path right now, on a day-to-day basis, and I'm very proud of myself. I pray every day that I can get through just this day without a drink. I'm not worried about what happened last year. Hell, I don't remember most of it anyway, so.

JOHN DALY: Well, that's up to those two now. I thought it would have been great if they would have played the practice round at the U.S. Open, but it didn't happen. That's up to those two. Like I said before, Fuzzy can't apologize any more. I mean, he's apologized and apologized and apologized. That's about all you can say about it really.

JOHN DALY: Well, I didn't get a chance to watch the Masters last year. I just know if you're going to shoot 18 under par there, you've got to hit it in the right spots on the greens. I haven't even seen anything on the Masters except, you know, where he tipped his hat on 18 and maybe a few shots he hit. I know Augusta from tee to fairway, I know it real well. I don't know how much matches this will be for me, maybe five, maybe six. I've yet to conquer the greens. Luckily, the way I'm putting right now, hopefully I'll be able to putt better. To go around that golf course and not have a 3-putt in 72 holes, is remarkable. Has it ever been done?

JOHN DALY: I don't either. Wow, that's incredible.

JOHN DALY: Probably would have been a few clubs in the water. I don't know. It would have been a bigger scene probably. I mean, I tried to knock it over the water, you know. If that would have happened, I would have tried to knock it in the water probably. But I was trying my heart out to knock it over the water. I wouldn't have been smiling about it, you know. It's just something you laugh about and you go on. I mean, probably another record set. Even par on 17 holes, 13-over on one hole.

JOHN DALY: Probably third. Golf is my life. I mean, I love to play it. For me to win, I have to keep doing what I'm doing off the course. Between sobriety, my family, then a win would be great. Just being out here for me is a miracle, like I said before. I'm just so happy that I'm out here.

JOHN DALY: I mean, to tell you the truth, the honest to God truth is I got better equipment. I mean, that's just the honest to God truth. I don't have to get over a golf ball and say, "I cannot hit this shot." I have a golf ball that I trust. It's nice to play golf courses without playing a hard ball. I think the combination of the Odyssey putter, the Callaway driver, the new X-12 irons, it's so far beyond any other company, you know, everyone's pretty much playing them. I mean, all the amateurs, you look at amateurs, their bags, they're all playing Callaways because they're so much better. I give credit to my work, the way I've been practicing, too. You know, I've never practiced so hard since I've been out here. That has a lot to do with it. But you've got to trust in what you're using. I think a lot of it just has to do with everything coming together.

JOHN DALY: I do have plans to play. I think what I'd like to do, I'm not committing right now, but after the Masters, I play MCI, Greensboro, Houston and Atlanta, then two weeks off.

JOHN DALY: I'm not going to play New Orleans. I have a boys and girls club tournament in my home that I do. I won't be able to play New Orleans.

JOHN DALY: Well, I've probably gotten -- I've got about 12 more last week - coins of how many people have been sober. I've got up to a hundred coins now. Some of one year, some of 36, some of ten, all that. Mine will have a Roman numeral one on it. A lot of them will have a saying, like in the big book, chapter five, says, "Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path." That could be on the back of one coin. I can't even say that, so I won't tell you. Has a serenity prayer which is on my golf bag. They're coins that I use as ball markers now. Any other coin. Weisskopf would have a very tough time playing with me (laughter) if I had that coin in front of me. I love Tom to death, don't get me wrong.

JOHN DALY: They're about the size of a half dollar. I might have one in my pocket, yeah.

JOHN DALY: Yeah, yeah, for support.

JOHN DALY: Yeah. Shows you how long you've been sober. They're about like that.

JOHN DALY: No. But other guys laugh at me. What is that? Just look at that. They feel embarrassed for even asking me. "Who are these two funny guys on the front?" I said, "Don't worry about it, you're okay."

JOHN DALY: Yeah. In the future, yeah.

JOHN DALY: That's where people give them to me the most is on the golf course, yeah.

JOHN DALY: There's millions of people out there, yeah. I didn't take the time to look at that when I stayed dry for four and a half years. I didn't realize. I was almost embarrassed to talk about my disease back then. If I don't talk about it now, I won't stay sober.

JOHN DALY: I declined to go to meetings, didn't want to talk to anybody in the program. You know, now I can't live without them. People told me that are in the program, they say, "Hey, it's a decision that takes time." A lot of people today who have been sober for 25 years have never stepped foot in a meeting. They just, you -- it works for some. I don't think I can make it without those people.

JOHN DALY: Whenever I feel like it, basically. I don't miss too many. On the road, I average about three a week. When I go home to Memphis, pretty much through the weekdays. Then Palm Springs, I don't miss one Monday through Friday.

JOHN DALY: They really are. Biggest trophy I could ever win. No doubt about it.

JOHN DALY: I'm sure he's thinking about something right now. I don't know. But, you know, it was funny. It really was funny.

JOHN DALY: Thank you.