Golf’s bad boy Daly turns down invite to at South African Opens after Aussie debacle
John Daly has turned down a chance to play in this week's South African Open. Photo: Getty Images
TWO weeks after he walked out of the Australian Open saying he had run out of balls, John Daly has turned down a chance to play in this week's South African Open.
Golf's most controversial star was originally due to appear at the Australian PGA Championship, but had his invitation withdrawn when officials took a dim view of him hitting six or seven balls - nobody seemed sure how many - into a lake during his opening round in Sydney and quitting.
Tournament director Trevor Herden said: "It's becoming a bit of a habit, but it's unacceptable and I certainly hope that all the tours deal with it in the appropriate manner this time."
Instead, however, an invitation was offered to Daly into the South African Open, but he decided not to make the trip and to wait until next week's Hong Kong Open - another European Tour event - to make his return.
After Brian Thorburn, chief executive of the PGA of Australia, stated that the former Open and USPGA champion's invitation to the Australian PGA Championship has been revoked Daly, now 676th in the world, replied: "I wouldn't have me there either".
It was only in September that he quit the Austrian Open, throwing his club in a lake and reacting to a two-shot penalty for a wrong drop by saying: "I'm done".
He has withdrawn from four events in the last six months and his whole career, of course, has been littered with incidents on and off the course.
Press Association
