SYDNEY (Reuters) ? Twice major winner John Daly left Australian Open organisers "bitter and disappointed" after walking off the course in the middle of his opening round on Thursday.
The 45-year-old, who is no stranger to controversy, hit six balls into the water from the 11th tee before shaking hands with his playing partners, walking to the Lakes Golf Club car park and driving off in a courtesy car.
"It's very disappointing and certainly unprofessional," championship director Trevor Herden told reporters.
"I'm extremely bitter and disappointed that he's treated this championship this way. It's becoming a bit of a habit and I certainly hope that all the tours deal with it in the appropriate manner this time.
"I would say this is the last time we see John Daly at this tournament."
Daly stood smoking a cigarette while waiting for the car to take him to his hotel but refused to speak to the media. His girlfriend Anna Cladakis said "you can't play if you've run out of golf balls".
"when u run out of balls u run out of balls. yes, I shook my player's partners hands & signed my card w/rules official," Daly later posted on his twitter page (twitter.com/#!/pga_johndaly)
Daly also walked off during his second round at the Austrian Open at Atzenbrugg in late September after a rules infringement. On a previous visit to the Australian Open in 2008, he smashed a spectator's camera.
NOT WELCOME
The PGA of Australia said it had withdrawn Daly's invitation to the Nov. 24-27 Australian PGA Championship at Coolum and said he would receive no appearance fee for either tournament.
"The PGA does not need this kind of behaviour tarnishing the achievements of other players and the reputation of our tournaments. John is not welcome at Coolum," chief executive Brian Thorburn said in a statement.
Daly had been penalised two shots at the 10th hole on Thursday for hitting the wrong ball out of a bunker, Herden said, leaving him seven over for the round approaching the 11th.
Herden said running out of golf balls was no excuse for quitting in the middle of a round.
"If you run out of golf balls and are acting in a professional manner, you would call the course officials and we would replenish his stock," he said.
Daly, nicknamed 'Wild Thing', continues to attract invitations to tournaments around the world despite failing to win a title since 2004.
The big-hitting American forged his legend, and his cult hero status, when he won the 1991 PGA Championship after finding out he would be playing just the day before the tournament.
He won the British Open in 1995 and has rarely been out of the headlines since, as much for his struggles with alcohol, gambling and relationship problems as for his golf.
(Editing by Patrick Johnston)
packers adam savage adam savage mos def jack o lantern jack o lantern dave thomas
No comments:
Post a Comment