Daly's tantrums caused fellow pros to turn away in embarrassment

Daly's tantrums caused fellow pros to turn away in embarrassment.When Daly is announced on the first tee at Lytham today it will be almost 10 months since he last tasted alcohol. But since the Open victory six years ago, Daly hasn't won, his best finish coming in the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond last week when he came joint third.So what is it that guarantees Daly a large gathering at Lytham? First, his power off the tee. The adage "drive for show, putt for dough'', may be as relevant today as ever it was but length is the most earnest desire of all golf enthusiasts. Two years after Daly came bursting out of nowhere to win the 1991 US PGA Championship as an "alternate'' he stood on the fifth tee in the Open at Sandwich, pondering club selection. When Daly chose a long iron over his driver, the gallery groaned in disappointment Daly smiled. "I know what you all want,'' he said, "But you aren't going to get it.''Then there is Daly's flawed nature, what is going on in his head, can he continue to fend off the demons? Will he demolish the course or crack in the attempt? "Watch the people who follow Daly,'' a veteran golf watcher said this week "There is a lot of morbid curiosity in their faces.

Part of them wants him to win, another part waits for him to explode.''With renewed faith in his old touch around the greens, Daly believes that he is on course to win again. "It's been a long time,'' he said this week, "but I feel I'm getting closer. As long as I can avoid beating myself up, as long as I don't let one bad hole carry over to the next I think I've got a good chance out there.''Daly admits that his worst behaviour was precipitated by "horrible golf'' "Whenever I played badly I'd get drunk. I'm such a hell of a competitor that I couldn't handle the disappointments.

Booze became my only comfort.'' He still gambles, still gets mad on the course and makes no claim to serenity. He also happens to be more than three stones lighter.When told before one Open that the wind would get up on the morrow, Daly joked about sending his ball into the next county. That was in his crowed-pleasing days, when he gave the ball a belt and to hell with the consequences. Pleasing the galleries this week is not one of his priorities.. JUSTIN LEONARDUnited States At 80-1, he is ridiculously overpriced If on his game, he is one of golf's thoroughbreds.