THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS -- John Daly was clearly accustomed to his new Champions Tour home Friday afternoon at the Insperity Invitational at The Woodlands Country Club with affluence of praise, action and a few flashes of the arch comedy that fabricated him a backstab above championship champ and fan favorite.
Add assorted cigarettes, several cans of diet coke and hundreds of fans, volunteers and clash admiral all cutting Daly's signature Loudmouth pants on the brilliant Southeast Texas links and you accept an aperture day alone he could produce.
"I feel good, I feel nervous," Daly said afterwards his aboriginal nine holes in his aboriginal Champions Tour event. "It's a acceptable nervous. I consistently feel a little afraid on the golf advance and that's a acceptable thing."
But afore Daly could get too nervous, his accompany and clash admiral fabricated abiding he had affluence to beam about.
Daly, cutting a ablaze azure dejected shirt and red and azure Loudmouth pants, was greeted by auspicious crowds on the aboriginal tee and presented with a ample red and white area block with the inscription "Welcome to the Champions Tour."
John Daly during his aboriginal annular on the Champions Tour.
Getty Images
"You appetite me eat all this now," Daly asked. "I'm afraid what would appear about the fourth hole."
His arena partners' ability were added attenuate and biting, authoritative fun of Daly's acclaimed vices.
"You see this golf ball," Peter Jacobsen said captivation up a adhesive blooming golf ball. "It's the blush of John's teeth (after all his cigarettes)."
"Ah man," Daly offered. "That's tough."
Fuzzy Zoeller offered a huge canteen of his namesake vodka to pay off the bet he already fabricated with Daly that his agrarian active meant he would never ability 50.
"There is it, I've paid my debt," Zoeller said.
When it assuredly came time for golf, Daly, hitting last, showed he had absent none of his connected active talent.
He accursed his aperture drive on the 516-yard, par-5 aperture aperture at atomic 80 yards accomplished his partners, put his additional attempt over the green, chipped aback and afresh two-putted for par.
After seven beeline pars, including two absent baboon putts from central 10 feet, Daly bogeyed the par-4 seventh hole, afresh birdied holes eight and nine. He fabricated the about-face at one-under-par 35, which led his accumulation of acceptable accompany Jacobsen and Zoeller. By the end of the round, Daly had accomplished two under, four shots off the lead.
Regardless of his score, it was bright he was the people's choice, article that bent the apprehension of the added players as well.
"Hey, John, you see this shirt," said one fan who affective his accept as he came off the additional green, pointing to the Crooked Stick logo area Daly access into the pro golf arena with a PGA Championship win. "I wore it for you, to accord you acceptable luck today."
"I formed Arnold Palmer's accumulation for the aftermost bristles years here, and I've never apparent annihilation like this," said a aegis bouncer assigned to Daly's group.
Daly, who active autographs walking from the putting blooming to the aboriginal tee and anchor pumped and coiled to admirers on every hole, connected his bottomward to apple means to which bags of golf admirers can relate.
"John, I got a Miller Lite actuality for you," said one already well-served angel as Daly absolved accomplished a acknowledgment line. "That's OK," Daly attempt aback after breaking stride. "I got one cat-and-mouse on my bus."
Instead back accustomed on the third tee his caddy/fiancée Anna pulled a mini can of diet Coke out of his brawl pocket, still with a artificial six backpack arena on it, and caked it in an ice abounding adamantine artificial 16 ounce mug with the calligraphy John Daly name on the side.
As the annular continued, Daly was able to change belief with Zoeller and Jacobsen of PGA glories gone by and get some austere advice.
"One affair you accept to do out actuality is aces your spots," Jacobsen told Daly as they absolved amid holes. "Every advance is not activity to fit you. The putts consistently breach back you atomic apprehend it and these guys can absolutely play. Otherwise aggregate is the same."
"I've accepted John back he was 18 years old and he brand bodies and his personality will draw out the crowd," said Dallas' Lee Trevino, who was authoritative a attenuate actualization to see Daly up abutting and personal.
"He's got the greatest abbreviate blow for a big man of anybody I've anytime seen. I anticipate he will anchor it and rip and you can't accumulate him out of the winners' circle," Trevino added "Unless he throws his doodle or his accomplished bag in the baptize on the 18th hole."
"They (fans) don't appetite to appear out and see me, a journeyman," added Woody Austin. "I accept that. It's important to have, what we call, aggravate movers, and that's what John can do."
For atomic one day, Daly said he accomplished the alone ambition he set on his aperture day -- accept fun.
"It's fun to comedy golf with accompany again."
Those friends, both central the ropes and out, gave the newest amateur a Texas-sized affirmation of that fact.
