Open Digest

Daly and Harmon renew battle
THERE'S obviously no love lost between John Daly and Butch Harmon, his former coach. As two-time major winner Daly - who has limited exemption on the US Tour and is mainly reliant on sponsors' invites - put it yesterday, "He (Harmon) needs to stay as far away from me as he possibly can." The relationship has been strained since Harmon cut ties with Daly after the Pods Championship in March, when the player visited a Hooters corporate tent during a rain delay and re-emerged with a football coach on his bag.

At the time of the parting of the ways, Harmon remarked: "My whole goal for him was he's got to show me golf is the most important thing in his life . . . (but) the most important thing in his life is getting drunk. All the guys I work with are working their (tails) off. John didn't have it. I like the kid, but he's got to get his head on straight. The partying and other shenanigans, if that's the way he wants to be, I don't choose to be a part of it."

Yesterday, Daly - winner of the British Open in 1995 - went on the offensive, claiming he drank only Diet Pepsi during the rain delay at the tournament and was there to undertake charity work: "I think most of that (lifestyle) stuff started with Butch Harmon; his lies destroyed my life for a little bit . . ."

In responding, Harmon said: "John has a lot of personal problems . . . this is just another case of John never wanting . . . to take responsibility for his actions. He's always looking to blame somebody else. If I see him in a place where I know it's going to be just him and I, I'd be more than happy to talk." Ticket sales up despite no Tiger

ANY fear that the absence of Tiger Woods would affect the crowds at Royal Birkdale have been dispelled by the RA's David Hill. "Our advance ticket sales are running 28 per cent ahead of 1998 (the last time the championship was played here), so it looks as though there will be 200,000 people here during the week. It's disappointing Tiger's not here, but the fans think this is a special week and they've made their minds up to come."

Olympic inclusion high on agenda

THE powerbrokers of the professional game are leaving no stone unturned in a bid to make golf an Olympic sport by the time the 2016 Games come around.

A think-tank of leading officials from the PGA European Tour, the US Tour, the LPGA, the RA, the PGA of America and Augusta National has been formed - under the umbrella of the International Golf Federation - and an indication of how serious the proposition is being taken is that Ty Votaw, an executive vice-president with the PGA Tour, has been "loaned" to the IGF as its executive director to push the move.

"Including golf in the Olympic programme is a plus for the stature of the game and a recognition of its increasing globality (sic)," said the PGA Tour's commissioner Tim Finchem in announcing the world's governing bodies were backing golf's inclusion.

The International Olympic Council have decided to include two new sports into the 2016 Games, and golf faces opposition from rugby, squash, karate, roller sports, softball and baseball. A decision will be taken by the IOC at its meeting in Denmark in October of next year.

In-form Jimenez takes lead role

IT seems Pádraig Harrington's wrist injury has the punters flocking to support other competitors in the British Open.

The Dubliner was widely available at 33 to 1 following a second day of curtailed practice and a spokeperson for Paddy Power Bookmakers confirmed: "For the first time in a long, long time Pádraig Harrington is not our major loss leader on the books."

That honour falls to the in-form Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez, who is receiving plenty of support from Irish punters.

Robert Karlsson, Graeme McDowell and the American Justin Leonard are also finding favour.

Harrington still has plenty of backers but a victory for the defending champion would not be as catastrophic from a bookies' perspective as last year's win.