Golf: Daly to make PGA Tour return in Memphis
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Associated Press
John Daly’s suspension on the PGA Tour is over, and the two-time major champion plans to return in three weeks for the St. Jude Championship and U.S. Open qualifying.
Daly was suspended for six months in November after a series of off-course incidents that brought negative publicity, the most recent a photo of him in an orange jail suit with his eyes half-closed after being locked up overnight in North Carolina to get sober.
He has played eight times overseas during his suspension, including a month in Europe, where he tied for second in the Italian Open.
“I know I’ll be ready to play,” Daly said in a telephone interview from Wentworth, where he tied for 72nd at the BMW PGA Championship. “I’m not going to be (half-trying) like I’ve done in the past. I know I may not play the tour if something good doesn’t happen. It’s making me work harder.”
BRITISH OPEN QUALIFIER
PLANO, Texas ó Davis Love III secured a spot in his 23rd consecutive British Open, putting together rounds of 67-65 to earn one of eight spots in the U.S. qualifier Monday.
Matt Kuchar led all qualifiers with a 13-under 129. Jeff Overton was two shots behind. James Driscoll joined Love, Richard S. Johnson, Martin Laird, Fredrik Jacobson and Tim Wilkinson at 10 under.
Ben Crane, at No. 53 the highest-ranked player at the qualifier, shot 65 in the afternoon and missed by one shot. Also failing to qualify was Jesper Parnevik. U.S. Amateur champion Danny Lee shot 69 in the afternoon to miss by three shots. Lee could have played the British Open if he had not turned professional after the Masters.
U.S. OPEN QUALIFIER
TADWORTH, England ó Peter Hanson earned a trip to the U.S. Open by making a hole-in-one on the second playoff hole at Sunningdale to grab the 11th and final spot in a European qualifier.
At the U.S. Open qualifier in Japan, 17-year-old Ryo Ishikawa failed to get one of the five spots.
Seven players who finished at 139 in Europe competed for five spots in the playoff. Jose-Manuel Lara, Jean-Francois Lucquin, Johan Edfors and Francesco Molinari all made birdie on the first extra hole to secure their place at Bethpage Black next month.
That left Hanson, Richard Bland and Stephen Gallacher to play for the last spot, but not for long. Hanson switched clubs from a 5-iron to a 6-iron for the 206-yard 17th hole on the Old Course, and it proved to be the perfect club.
“This game is just so stupid sometimes,” Hanson said. “Obviously, I am delighted to get through, but to do it like that is unbelievable. We were between clubs on the tee, but I thought that I would go for a full 6-iron and play for the middle of the green. You need a bit of luck with any hole-in-one, and I got my share today.”