Daly hopes to play in Irish Open at Baltray

TOUR NEWS:JOHN DALY may be taking life one day at a time in his rehabilitation, but the two-time major champion, who is on a six-month suspension from the US Tour, remains on target for a return to tournament play on the European Tour in May that would include an appearance at the 3 Irish Open at Baltray.

Although negotiations are continuing with the European Tour, Daly, who was suspended by the PGA Tour in the United States after a number of incidents, including hitting a golf ball off a beer can during a pro-am and, then, last October being photographed in an orange jail suit when taken to a police cell in North Carolina to sleep off the effects of alcohol, aims to return to tournament play in a stint on this side of the Atlantic that his management hopes will take in the Spanish Open, Italian Open and, then, the Irish Open.

Daly’s last competitive outing came in the Australia Masters last November, where he missed the cut. Since then, the player has lost almost three stone in weight in a fitness and dietary regime and, although recovering from a rib injury that affected him for much of last year, has also managed to work on elements of his game with his coach, Rick Smith, in Florida.

The weight loss came about after player and coach watched video reruns of Daly’s win in the 1995 British Open at St Andrews.

“He’s looking forward to regaining his place in the game,” Daly’s agent, Bud Martin, told the Golf Channel in outlining his intended return to life on tour.

Daly, the “Wild Thing”, is in the middle of his second suspension from the US Tour, this latest ban marking what he called the “low point” of a chequered, 18-year career that has seen him reach highs like winning the 1991 US PGA Championship and the 1995 British Open along with lows that include two visits to rehab for alcohol addiction, gambling losses and four marriages.

The PGA Tour suspension was imposed after a series of incidents last year that culminated in a photograph of the player in an orange jail suit being posted on the internet.

Both manager and coach believe Daly is finally headed in the right direction, in terms of getting his life together and in getting his golf game back, and they view a run of tournaments in Europe as his desired option.

Daly had originally planned on playing the Gulf Swing – Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Dubai in January – but pulled out of those tournaments and has set his sights on a return in May, leading up to the Irish Open at Co Louth on May 14th-17th.

His manager believes he will be “100 per cent” recovered from his rib injury by then.

Daly, who is ranked 761st in the world, last played in the Irish Open at Druids Glen in 1999, where he missed the cut, while his best finish in the event was as runner-up to Bernhard Langer at Mount Juliet in 1994.

Meanwhile, the European Tour returns from its fortnight hiatus with the Madeira Island Open this week, where Damien McGrane, up to 137th in the latest rankings, which puts him just one spot behind Paul McGinley, heads a five-strong Irish contingent that also includes Michael Hoey, Jonathan Caldwell, Michael McGeady and Simon Thornton.

As if to emphasise the growing tentacles of the European Tour, the Challenge Tour starts its 2009 campaign in South America for the Colombia Masters, with Colm Moriarty, Noel Fox, Gareth Shaw and Alan Murray comprising the Irish challenge.

And Des Smyth, Denis O’Sullivan and Jimmy Heggarty are in action in the Barbados Open on the European Seniors Tour.

Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson is now only 0.52 points behind Tiger Woods at the top of the rankings.

Mickelson has never been number one, but the left-hander’s victory at the WGC-CA Championship in Florida, his second win in four weeks and the first World Championship success of his career, has lifted him back above Sergio Garcia into second place.

It was Garcia who had a chance to overtake Woods last week, but the 29-year-old Spaniard finished down in 31st spot.

Not that victory would have done it for Garcia in any case. Woods needed to finish 27th or worse, but tied for ninth.

With all three now taking time off, the battle for the top spot goes to next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill – and two weeks after that comes the US Masters at Augusta.