Last John Daly Update

John Daly did not make a charge on Sunday or win the British Open. He shot a 73 to finish 1+, 17 shots behind the winner, Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa.

You might find his choice of pants a little...something. There's just something about this, I wouldn't wear these!

More on Mr. Daly

John Daly finished strong with birdies on two of the last three holes, but still had a 74, putting him at even for the tournament and 15 strokes behind the leader.

As you can see, he switched up patterns, opting for these tiger stripes in red and black. Comparatively subdued...

John Daly Update

John Daly shot a 76 to go with his 66 and leave him at -2 for the tournament at the British Open. The weather during the second round was so bad at one point that they actually stopped play while the storm blew over. It does appear that Daly will make the cut for the tournament. His pants? Pretty outrageous, but the black sweater is more subdued, and his lime green cap and shirt match the pants.

Go, John, go!

John Daly's Pants

I've always liked John Daly, and have followed his ups and downs over the years. He has amazing golf talent. He had a nice first round at the British Open. This is him, and yes, that is what he wore.

Daly has a deal with Loudmouth Golf to wear their outrageous pants. This is the outfit that the Norwegian curling team used for the argyle pants they wore in Vancouver.

Hmmm.

Master's Golf: Nice finish

Glad to see the result of the Master's--Phil Mickelson was the winner, with Tiger Woods a very competent forth, and some nice work by old fossils Tom Watson and Fred Couples.

Couldn't have worked out better really.

CBS TV was thrilled--lots and lots of folks tuned in to watch.

Tiger's Apology

Step 9: Made direct amends to people we had harmed...

Tiger Woods took 13.5 minutes of the world's time this morning starting at 1000 CST to apologize for his cheating on his wife. Attired rather starkly in dress shirt without tie, dark jacket and trousers, Woods looked stiff and scripted as he read/gave his statement. Opinions have generally been positive concerning the effects of the statement, and the event has been talked about all day.

To me, it sounded like boiler plate recovery talk, part of the seek forgiveness, make amends steps. Tiger is a man working the recovery program. If he means it, and means to continue working on being a better, more real, more genuine person, great. If it's just blather, then we all wasted our time.

Let's be real. The world of golf wants--no, needs--him back. Golf is not nearly as interesting or fun without him, nor does it make any money without him. I wish him well in his continuing recovery work. Let's hope he can keep it real.

More on the 12 steps here.

Tiger Woods In Spite of Myself

No, no, don't let me...no, no, stop me before it's too late. It's too late.

So Tiger Woods was impaired by alcohol and narcotic drugs when he was behind the wheel at 0230 Friday, November 27 if we are to believe the HIPAA law violating source that reports that he was intubated due to inadequate breathing and in ICU during part of his hospital stay. So his mother-in-law was taken by ambulance today to the same hospital and released after twelve hours. Who is staying at that house anyway? According to reports, his mom, and his mother-in-law, as well as his wife were at the scene of the accident early Friday morning. Were they all in the house as Tiger and his wife discussed the infidelity reports? And the number of ladies who report sexual relations with that man, Tiger Woods, is now up to eight. Rush Limbaugh, who is way into golf and the PGA Tour, was saying this morning in his program's first hour that it was common knowledge on the tour that Tiger had trouble keeping it in his pants. Can there be any more drama in Tiger's life?

Tiger was seen as mostly dull, a child prodigy, and a great golfer before he got married. He got married and then his dullness turned into being a family man, with wife and kids. He was not seen to have any obvious imperfections by the general population, except maybe for being dull and one dimensional. And of course, he was--still--an awesome golfer.

Now, the dullness and seeming perfection has fallen away, starting with the strange motor vehicle crash and the drama, really, is still not at an end. We humans like to put people up to being perfect; then, when they fall, we are ready to pounce. It's funny, I think people at this point would have a warmer regard for the very imperfect John Daly then for the fallen-from-perfection Tiger Woods. We know what John Daly was and is and is trying to be. We still don't know what Tiger really is or will try to be.

I have not come right out and said it to this point in my commentary on Tiger. If you are a Christian, it almost goes without saying. There is only One Thing that satisfies the lack a person feels within them and that is Jesus Christ. I'd love to see Tiger Woods accept Christ, and do all the things that that would entail. Tiger would be a hard target for the Holy Spirit; the Bible warns that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God (see Mark 10:25), but it is not beyond God to do this. Tiger, humble yourself before God. It would be one of the best things you could do for yourself.

I have some practical advice for Tiger Woods now; three things he should do. One, lay low, turn off the drama machine--anything happens and the press is on it like a rat on a Cheeto. Two, keep his pants firmly zipped up except for relations with his lawfully wedded wife. Three, hurry up and go play some golf. He is a golfer--he needs to go do his golfing job now.

Some of this commentary is in debt to this excellent piece on "American Thinker" by Lisa Schiffren. You can agree or disagree with the political part of the piece comparing Tiger to Barack Obama, but the analysis of Tiger's situation is the best I've read. The comments are pretty good too. If you're feeling noisy, check out some of the links in the article. Hat tip to Rush Limbaugh for finding this piece.

Tiger Woods: The Conclusion

I don't want to turn my comments on the Tiger Woods saga into a sermon, but there are undeniable spiritual truths being illuminated by this situation that beg to be examined. First, though, I have to say I was not the least bit surprised when an undeniable bit of evidence of dillydallying came out. The voice mail message of Tiger pleading with a fine young fling to remove her name from her phone because his wife was checking on him was a total blow up. I just had this feeling that Tiger had indeed, had relations with women outside his marriage. He had to address this as he did on his web site, confessing to "transgressions". I think he did not have to go into details about his transgressions, just using such a word (a close synonym is "sin") indicated the seriousness of the matter. It also shows that Tiger acknowledges the seriousness of his deeds. I also respect his privacy in terms of wanting no details of the counseling and other steps the Woods family are taking to restore the marital relationship. Of course, if they split up, the chances of that happening privately are nil.

So this saga is over. Law enforcement has tagged Tiger with a fine, four points on his driving license and a civil violation of careless and imprudent driving. His indiscretion has become known to all, including his wife, and now he must work that out. His sponsors are all hanging in right now, but Tiger probably ought to make sure he stays off the National Enquirer front page for a while.

Finally, the folly of believing that you are invincible and can have it all is revealed again. Temptations for athletes are unreal. Male athletes find that women want to get close to the physical and social power they represent and the money and power that they own. Women with no real life of their own throw themselves at athletes all the time. And that feels good to a man. It feels better than at home, where their wife doesn't look so good all the time, and is busy caring for kids and the household. (This is not just confined to athletes; it happens to doctors, lawyers and politicians too.) It takes a certain amount of spiritual strength and stamina to stand up to this kind of pressure and say no. The environment is not going to help; (do not tell me that Tiger is the only golfer to get some on the side while out on the PGA Tour circuit) in fact, there may be peer pressure. It takes internal steel. It takes values that say that the vows made before God and witnesses during the marriage ceremony mean more than a momentary flash of pleasure and power. It also takes real support, from family, friends, and yes, faith. I pray that from now on, Tiger acknowledges his weaknesses, takes practical steps to stay out of tempting situations, and seeks wisdom from others.

He is still a great golfer, and I expect he'll continue to do well in his career. I just hope he can find peace in his personal life.

Tiger Woods Needs to Quit Covering Up

You absolutely would have to have been totally out of touch not to know that early Friday morning (like 0230), Tiger Woods crashed his Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant and a tree just outside his posh Florida home. Since that time, he has said just about nothing about the crash and speculation has run wild about the circumstances surrounding the crash. On Wednesday, The National Enquirer reported that Tiger had been having an affair with another woman. The website and TV show TMZ have reported that Tiger and his wife had a big fight before the crash. Reportedly, his wife smashed the back windows of the SUV and pulled Tiger out of the car.

Questions--just a few. For example, Tiger's wife is a trophy, 105 lbs dripping wet. How did she pull Tiger out the back window? If I had been on the scene, first I would have called 911. Then I would go about getting the driver's side door open. From the crash pics I've seen, the driver's side was undamaged and that door would probably open. If the doors were all locked (likely in these days of automatic locking when the car is in gear.) I would have broken the passenger side window and unlocked the door that way. Also I would have left Tiger in his driver's seat, unless he was completely awake, and let EMS package him up for transport.

Yes, Tiger should have some privacy. But in this matter his quest for privacy is a hindrance. Talk to the cops. Give a real statement to the media, not some manufactured PR bullshit. That would stop the speculation in its tracks. It would also take the legs out from the story right now. As it is the story continues to fester. And it will come up again and again as the police department does evidence gathering. For example, they will examine the Caddy. Is there blood in the car as you would expect with injuries from the crash? Is it in the right places? There has to be surveillance cameras in this private gated community; what do they show? You can bet that if they show anything, it will come out. Will they want blood or hair from Tiger to see if he was under the influence of narcotics or alcohol?

Just come out with the truth, Tiger:
I had a fight with my wife.
She whacked me one.
She chased me out of the house with a golf club.
I ran away, got in the car, and drove like a wobble head.
I am so embarrassed, it was completely stupid.
We are going to work on our marriage and that's all I'll say about that.
Or whatever the real, truthful story is--the good, the bad and the ugly. (The above is one possibility making the rounds.)

Story: Done.