John Daly confirms he's playing in Scottish Open

NEWS RELEASE
John Daly, the American golfer known as ‘Wild Thing’ and one of the most popular figures in world golf, has confirmed he will compete in The Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond from July 9-12.

With his renowned ‘grip it and rip it’ brand of golf – which is awe-inspiring and unpredictable in equal measure – Daly will captivate the galleries along the banks of Loch Lomond, near Glasgow, when a world class field assembles next month.

“I am really looking forward to returning to Scotland to The Barclays Scottish Open,” said Daly, the California-born winner of two Major Championships. “It is always such a pleasure to play in front of the Scottish crowds and I know I will have a great week. It is a great golf course in an awesome setting.”

The Barclays Scottish Open will welcome Daly for the fourth time this year, and he will be hoping to finish a couple of places higher than he did in 2001, when he finished in a tie for third with rounds of 68-68-66-70 for a 12-under-par total of 272, one shot behind Denmark’s Thomas Björn and four adrift of South African winner Retief Goosen, who held on after starting the week with an astonishing nine under par 62 which, to this day, remains the course record.

Winner of the 1991 US PGA Championship and the 1995 Open Championship at St Andrews, Daly has been enchanting European Tour crowds on a regular basis in 2009 with his long driving and his relaxed and friendly manner. Having appeared in Hong Kong, Australia, Spain, Italy, Ireland and twice in England; in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club and in The European Open at The London Golf Club, Daly has come closest to victory this year in the BMW Italian Open, where he finished in a tie for second behind Argentina’s Daniel Vancsik.

“I always love coming over to Europe,” added the 43 year old. “I feel really good. I'm working hard. The fans are great and I keep them on their toes. They just never know where I'm going to go or what I'm going to do; hell, I don't even know what I'm going to do sometimes.” One of the most entertaining golfers on Tour off the course as well as on, when Daly was recently asked if he had made any particular friends on his European travels to which he replied: “I'm like Jesus, I love all of you.”

A rejuvenated and slimmer Daly, who has lost four stone in weight in recent months since going through lap-band surgery, has been particularly hard to miss on the golf course this year thanks to his collection of spectacularly decorated trousers, which has prompted the golfer to suggest a new “Styled Thing” nickname.

Daly was catapulted from golfing obscurity to global stardom in the space of four days in 1991, after he had driven through the night to fill in a late slot in the US PGA Championship field at Crooked Stick. Daly was the ninth and final alternate for the tournament, he was a complete unknown from America’s minor Tours, yet without a single practice round he shot 69-67-69-71 to win on his debut. Daly’s dramatic triumph was supposed to be impossible, and it remains one of the most remarkable stories the game has ever seen.

Daly’s popularity in Europe, and especially in Scotland, was redoubled four years later when he claimed his second Major title in The Open Championship on the Old Course at St Andrews, defeating Italy’s Costantino Rocca in a play-off. Aged 29, Daly was, at the time, the world’s youngest golfer with two Major titles to his name.

For further information on The Barclays Scottish Open 2009, including ticket sales, go to www.barclaysscottishopen.co.uk. Under-16s accompanied by adults will gain free admission to the tournament, parking is free to all, and there will be rain and bus links to the tournament from Glasgow city centre. Adult day tickets are available for £25 (senior citizens £15) until June 30, with season tickets available for £60 (senior citizens £35).