Tim McDonald - Latest Comments on John Daly's missed putt at American Express Championship: he's now officially biggest choke artist in the game

Shanks [Visitor] in response to: John Daly's missed putt at American Express Championship: he's now officially biggest choke artist in the game

Shanks [Visitor] — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 16:04:43 +0000

I'm just saying that Daly could be better than he is. It would take effort and pain, but it could be done. To me, not using your gifts to the fullest is wasting talent.

Myself, I like the buffalo shrimp ... minus the hairs, of course.

Denver Player [Visitor] in response to: John Daly's missed putt at American Express Championship: he's now officially biggest choke artist in the game

Denver Player [Visitor] — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 17:38:27 +0000

Shanks,

Agreed. Responsible for his actions. Can't argue with that.

One question:

Hogan, Nicklaus, Woods....

What separated(s) them from others in their generation? Prodigious talent WITH the mind of a steel trap. These guys stand out amongst other greats in the history of golf for their achievements and mental prowess.

I think we both agree that Daly isn't even in the same league as Woods when it comes to mental prowess. So I consider him to be talented but not a great of the game. Hogan had Snead, Nicklaus his Weiskopf. While the comparison is overly simplistic, I think they show that men of equal or greater physical gifts still lose.

Probably just arguing semantics, here. And Shanks, I think you are a little overly critical of the Hooters clientele. After all, you can by a bottle of Dom at Hooters.

When you go, insist that your waitress wears a hairnet under her shorts.

Shanks [Visitor] in response to: John Daly's missed putt at American Express Championship: he's now officially biggest choke artist in the game

Shanks [Visitor] — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 17:18:26 +0000

DP, I believe that you honestly feel that way. Doesn't change how I feel about Daly tho. He's as talented as many of the greats, so in my mind he underachieves. If you want to give him a life-long poor-old-me excuse because of his upbringing 30-40 years ago, be my guest. But I say that he's an adult now and fully responsible for all his decisions. He's lived a priviledged lifestyle for 15 years now, and we know he's been exposed to enough wonderful people/mentors to have made some appropriate changes. He chooses not to.

As far as the big man drinking, there was an article on si.com recently about Daly doing a routine promotional at Hooters. I really don't wish him ill, but that can't be a very wise decision for a man of his "tastes".

I won't go into my personal life but I will say you'd probably be surprised at the personal challenges I have met and continue to work on. And it's not like I enjoy doing it either. Like golf, character building is not easy. If it was, everybody would do it.

Denver Player [Visitor] in response to: John Daly's missed putt at American Express Championship: he's now officially biggest choke artist in the game

Denver Player [Visitor] — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 18:54:58 +0000

Shanks,

Honestly, I think you are being a little to hard on JD. If you dislike his "quitting", that's one thing. However, I think he is far from getting drunk and chasing women.

Talented? Absolutely. But the sports world is, and always has been, filled with athletes with physical gifts and not mental ones. JD just doesn't have the same mental gifts as, say, Tiger Woods. (Who we all know was specifically trained in mental preparation from early childhood.) Do you really think that JD had an equitable upbringing in that regard? Probably not. Again, one of the most difficult things to change is the inner person we are. Think of it in personal terms, Shanks. How often have you been able to change, and I mean TRULY change, a mental or character deficiency you may have? How hard are you on yourself for falling short? Then why are you so hard on JD for failing to achieve change that eludes most of us in our private lives?

You certainly have the right to dislike JD, but I have a difficult time accepting the argument that he is a "waste of talent." He has been able to win based on his physical talents, and despite his lack of mental shortcomings (as compared to many of the high echelon peers).

Big baby? Maybe. But waste of talent? Don't think so. You compare him, unfairly so, to the greats of the game. I don't think he warrants that comparison.

Shanks [Visitor] in response to: John Daly's missed putt at American Express Championship: he's now officially biggest choke artist in the game

Shanks [Visitor] — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 16:21:33 +0000

Get drunk, gamble & chase women .... hmmmm .... he's not far from that now!

As far as Lietzke, he doesn't have to practice to play the way he plays, just like Daly. He's satisfied with just earning a (great) living. But HE could also be wasting talent. There's no telling how good he could be if he worked at it too. And I think most would agree that Lietzke is below Daly's talent level.

Unlike you, DP, I don't find Daly's quitting fascinating in the least. I guess the behind-the-scenes fines got enough of his attention that at least he doesn't outright quit on a tournament anymore. Now he just plays the final round very, very disinterested. He's a big baby.

Denver Player [Visitor] in response to: John Daly's missed putt at American Express Championship: he's now officially biggest choke artist in the game

Denver Player [Visitor] — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 01:56:56 +0000

What else would he do?

Get drunk, gamble and chase women. Can't say it is very profitable, but it is a hell of a lot of fun.

How good would he be if he practiced like Tiger?

Don't know. Practice doesn't work for everyone. Look at Lietzke. For some people, practicing doesn't always produce better results, either. The Q-School is littered with PGA Pros who have lost their game on the driving range. Dana Quigley had his finest year. He plays golf, he doesn't practice. For every Singh, there is also a Herron.

Quitting?

Agreed, unprofessional. You don't have to like it, but that is part of what makes JD the person he is. Golf is entertainment, and I have to admit that part of me is interested to see the ball coming back to him and him swiping it with his putter.

Everyone is different. But I don't see JD as a waste of talent or potential, because I personally believe that it is much more difficult to overcome personal shortcomings that physical ones. And winning two majors with his train wreck life is a hell of an accomplishment.

I can only imagine how many of us common people would be evaluated if we were under the same degree of scrutiny.

Shanks [Visitor] in response to: John Daly's missed putt at American Express Championship: he's now officially biggest choke artist in the game

Shanks [Visitor] — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 20:42:48 +0000

What ELSE would he do? Sell sweaters in some po-dunk Arkansas public course pro shop? How hard is what he is doing when there are millions of dollars to be gained? We should all have to "perservere" like that!

Of course, it's tough to make it on Tour. Almost everybody has to practically kill themselves to do so. And here is Daly, who does it mostly on sheer talent. If he worked as hard as, say, Tiger - how good do you think he could be? I personally think he could challenge Tiger week in and week out. If not quite that, he could probably be in the top 10 in the world. But I don't think he's got the onions to try that hard & risk failing. He'd rather have this "poor-old-me" built-in excuse. That is what I find sad and a waste.

But the real reason I'm not a Daly fan is because of his quitting. That is - at least - totally unprofessional. I realize it could be just me, butI think he has an obligation to his fans - the paying customers - to try on every shot ... or at least act like it.

Denver Player [Visitor] in response to: John Daly's missed putt at American Express Championship: he's now officially biggest choke artist in the game

Denver Player [Visitor] — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 01:59:31 +0000

Shanks,

Wow, we even disagree on "perseverance". Imagine that.

Daly had a rough go of it for a number of years, battling personal demons, addiction and poor play. Coming out from underneath that shadow is persevering, in my book. To make it all the more impressive, he had to deal with all of these issues very publicly. Though he dirtied his own laundry, he had to air it out in front of EVERYBODY. And he has a nice comeback in the making.

Look at Duval, Baker-Finch, etc. These guys dealt majorily with game issues, not personal ones. Think of all the third-tier pros we don't hear about, who can't make it on tour.

All in all, being a pro is tough. Not sure if I had the game that I would be interested in living on the road and living a public life. So I give credit to these guys and give them a little more lattitude for it.

Of course, Shanks, you have the right to disagree.