John Daly smashes specator's camera on
way to a 78 in Australian Open

John "Wild Thing" Daly was involved in an incident with a spectator on his way to a six-over-par round of 78 in the first round of the Australian Open at Royal Sydney Golf Club today.
Spectator Brad Clegg snapped the big American at close range among the trees after a wayward tee shot cost Daly a penalty shot.
Daly grabbed the camera, ripping the wrist strap from its mountings, and threw it with all his force into the trunk of the nearest tree.
"You want it back, I'll buy you a new one," Daly yelled.
Clegg said he was in shock as he picked up the pieces of his camera, which he bought a year ago for $180.
The memory card survived the episode, and the last picture on it shows a pale and clearly angry Daly ready to explode.
Without saying another word, Daly took his penalty drop and finished the hole with a bogey to end his opening round with a six-over-par 78.
He will almost certainly miss the halfway cut for the third straight week to complete a miserable visit to Australia.
Daly, whose life Stuart Appleby last month labelled a "train wreck", stormed off the course immediately after signing his card.
He later phoned tournament officials to express his regret at the incident and put his side of the story.
"I was looking to take a drop and the camera was six inches away from my face," he said in a statement.
"If I was 10 under par I would have felt the same. My eyes are still burning from the flash of the camera.
"I feel it was very rude to put a camera that close to anybody's face in any situation.
"The guy that had the camera had already taken a dozen shots at close range."
Daly will not be punished by Golf Australia, which runs the Open but may face disciplinary action from the PGA Tour of Australasia.
Media supervisor Kathie Shearer, who took the call from Daly, said he sounded very upset.
"He was really sad about it," she said.
Clegg, a 15-handicapper from Sydney's Ashlar club, took a day's annual leave and got up at 5am specifically to follow Daly.
"I don't think I'll be chasing him for the money. He's a big bloke," he said.
Clegg accepted he had breached entry conditions which clearly state that spectators cannot carry cameras or mobile phones.
But he did not think he had provoked Daly.
"I was bold but I wasn't unreasonable," he said.
Clegg was not alone in carrying a camera. Many in Daly's gallery were also taking pictures, and at one stage playing partner Robert Allenby upbraided a course marshall for using a camera in the middle of the fairway.
Daly was paid appearance money to play the Australian tournaments, and while he thrilled the fans with booming 300-metre drives, his putting has been woeful.
On the par-three 17th hole, for instance, his tee shot settled on the front of the green. Rather than use his putter, Daly took out a wedge and chunked it about two metres, taking a piece out of the green in the process.
He then took out his putter and took three more to get it into the hole.
It was a typical Daly round.