Daly reveals Ryder ambition
Buoyed by his 15th place in the Open championship last week, John Daly is targeting a Ryder Cup debut in Ireland next year.
And the two-time major winner, who will compete this week at the Deutsche Bank tournament in Hamburg, believes the American team have learnt a huge amount from Europe’s record-breaking victory at Oakland Hills in 2004.
US captain Hal Sutton was widely criticised for a number of high-profile mistakes in Detroit, most notably putting Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson together and seeing the world’s second and fourth-ranked players suffer two defeats on the opening day.
The two-year qualifying period used to select the team also came under fire and Daly believes copying the 12-month system used in Europe – which gets underway in Switzerland on September 1 – will ensure more in-form players make the team.
“It’s been kind of a jinx for me to get in the Ryder Cup it seems,” said Daly, who missed out in 1991 and 1995 despite winning the USPGA and Open titles respectively.
“My good play was in the years where the points didn’t count double and it hurt me. Hopefully now we’re doing it the way the Europeans are, a one-year deal, I can get off to a good start on the west coast in January and get some points early.
“It was tough to watch last year and I actually turned the TV off. Our guys were not having fun. The Europeans were signing autographs, good camaraderie ... our guys just didn’t seem to click.
“I hope Tom (Lehman, US captain at the K Club) sits back and asks the guys: ‘Okay, who do you feel more comfortable playing?’
“Don’t just point to them and say: ‘You guys are playing together, go out and win.’ You can’t do that.
“You’ve got to get two guys who have played in matches together somewhere down the line, whether it’s a money game or Walker Cup or World Cup or something.
“We all thought Phil Mickelson and Tiger wasn’t a good match because they are both veterans and should have been playing with rookies. It puts too much pressure on them to get a point. I don’t think Tom will do that.”
Daly also joked he would never say he was too tired to play 36 holes in a day, as Chris Riley infamously did at Oakland Hills, despite not exactly being the fittest golfer on the planet.
The 39-year-old has had well documented problems with his weight, drink and drugs, but insists he is happy with how he is and has no plans to embark on a fitness regime favoured by many of the top players.
“Jack Nicklaus never did and look how many he won,” added Daly.
“I’m not a work-out guy. Every time I used to do it I threw up after I got done.
“They don’t let you smoke or drink in gyms so you know I’m not going to have any fun doing that. In the early ‘90s I bought gym equipment for the home and did pretty good for six months.
“But I got real tight in my chest and my swing was all screwed up and I said I’ll never do it again. If I get fatter I just buy bigger clothes. I don’t care.
“This ain’t a beauty contest out here you know. I have no idea what I weigh. I know my pants still fit so that’s the only thing I gauge it on.”
Daly is part of a star-studded field competing for the £378,000 first prize at Gut Kaden, with US Open champion Michael Campbell, Jose Maria Olazabal, Retief Goosen and Padraig Harrington also taking part.
Harrington is returning to action after withdrawing from the Open following the death of his father last Monday, but another Old Course absentee, England’s David Howell, is still missing.
Howell was forced to pull out of the US Open with a rib injury sustained as he warmed up for the second round at Pinehurst, and has not played since.
