Golf Sport
the times | Saturday September 12 2020 2GS 19
The 1995 Open champion John Daly
has revealed that he had bladder cancer
diagnosed after visiting a doctor about
kidney stones and a bad back.
Daly, 54, the big-hitting player
known for his flamboyant taste in
clothing, has had an operation to
remove the cancer but has been
informed that there is a high
probability of the disease returning.
“Luckily for me they caught it early
— bladder cancer is something that I
don’t know all the details [about] but it
doesn’t look like it will go away,” Daly
told the Golf Channel. “We will just see
what happens. Maybe there’s a
miracle.”
Daly shot to prominence in 1991
when he won the US PGA Champion-
ship at Crooked Stick, Indiana, finish-
ing three shots clear of Bruce Lietzke. It
was his first year on the PGA Tour and
he only qualified for the tournament as
ninth alternate after a string of players
had withdrawn. He added his second
major title four years later at St
Andrews, beating Costantino Rocca in
a four-hole play-off.
Between his two major successes,
Daly’s struggles with alcohol and gam-
bling addictions had begun and he
spent three weeks at an addiction treat-
ment centre in 1993, returning to finish
third at the Masters. When he won the
BellSouth Classic the following year, he
claimed it was the first tournament he
had won sober.
His problems with alcohol returned
after his Open victory and he withdrew
from the 1997 US Open at Congressio-
nal halfway through his second round,
saying that he was “physically and emo-
tionally exhausted”. That same year, hebecame the first PGA Tour player to
average more than 300 yards in driving
distance over a full season.
Divorced four times, Daly has been
playing recently on the Senior Tour,
finishing 70th in the Senior PlayersWARREN LITTLE/GETTY IMAGESDaly faces bladder cancer fight
Championship in Akron, Ohio, last
month. Having undergone gastric band
surgery in 2009, which enabled him to
lose 40lb, he is now considering
lifestyle changes that may improve his
chances of overcoming cancer.
“I’m cutting way, way back on the
Diet Coke and counting minutes before
I can have a cigarette,” he said. “I’m
trying to quit smoking. The doctors
aren’t saying it’s too late.
“Unfortunately, it’s a cancer that
keeps coming back. But I’m going to
listen to them. If it comes back, it comes
back. [I have] six months to a year, if it
doesn’t go away. I’m going to live my
life. I’m gonna have some fun.
“[The doctor] said there’s an 85 per
cent chance it comes back. I’ve got to go
back and see him in three months. They
will probably have to cut it out again.
Responding to fans wishing him well
on Twitter, he said: “Hey all, thank you
all so much for all the love, texts, msgs
& support thru this! It’s all still shocking
for me but know I’ll do what I have in
me to beat this! My whole life I’ve beat-
en the odds, so it’s NOT time to stop
now!”
Daly last played a PGA Tour event at
last year’s Safeway Open in California,
where he missed the cut. “I always tell
people I’ve lived one hell of a life,” he
said. “No matter what happens, I’m not
scared to die or anything. I’m still work-
ing, I’m still living life, I’m still doing the
things I need to do. I can accept the
challenge. I’m not scared of that. I just
want my kids to be OK and everyone
else in my family.”John Westerby
Daly, known for his flamboyant clothing, says he is considering lifestyle changesTommy Fleetwood may have his
mind on the US Open next week as
he was eclipsed by a player 656 places
below him in the world rankings at
the halfway stage of the Portugal
Masters in Vilamoura.
Fleetwood, the world No 16 and
pre-tournament favourite is 11 shots
behind the impressive Julien Guerrier,
who won twice on the Challenge
Tour in 2017 but is seeking a first
European Tour title.
The Frenchman, ranked 670, added
a second round of 66 to his opening
62 at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf
Course. At 14 under par, he ended the
day five shots clear of the American
Sihwan Kim, whose erratic 66
included six birdies and three bogeys
on the back nine.
“I’m feeling great,” said Guerrier,
who played only five events in 2019
due to injury. “It looks easy but it’s
not. After you shoot nine under it’s
always tough to make a good score, so
I’m really happy to play well.
“After the injury you try to get a
good level and find your mark on your
game under pressure, so it’s perfect for
me to play on the weekend.”
Fleetwood recovered from playing
the first seven holes in three over par
to return a 71 and remain three under.
“As much of a round of two halves as
it was, my putting stopped me from
having a pretty decent round,” he said
before heading to the practice green.Fleetwood falls
11 shots behind
rank outsider