British Open 2010: The Wild Ride of John Daly Continues at St. Andrews

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The sideshow that is John Daly roared to close to the top of the leaderboard Thursday with a six-under 66 in the first round of the 2010 British Open.

He stepped to the first tee in his psychedelic lavender paisley pants, peach-colored short, sky blue sleeveless sweater, and turquoise cap. As usual, he was a fashion mess.

But don't let the cigarette and the can that he carried around the course fool you. The smoke is for nerves, the beverage is soda, not beer.

This is the latest chapter in the renaissance of the wildest man on the PGA Tour.

Let's take a look at the evolution of the legend.

The Early Days

Daly joined the Tour in 1991 and came out with guns blazing to win the PGA Championship. His underdog status and his big, booming drives made him an instant favorite and his celebrity skyrocketed.

He was the punch of personality that golf needed. Best of all, it was all genuine.

He went on to win PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.

Four years later, after a pair of small-scale wins on tour, Daly roared back to win the Open at St. Andrews in 1995.

But the on-and off-course madness had already begun.

Another Famous Jack on the Course

Daly wrote in his autobiography that he has drank a fifth of Jack Daniel's everyday since he was 23, including many times in the middle of rounds.

The alcohol has led to a series of crazed events that put Daly in the headlines for anything but his golf.

He was once thrown off a British Airways flight for harassing a flight attendant while he was drunk.

His play also became more and more erratic. At the 1993 Kemper Open, he was upset by his opening round and threw his scorecard to the floor of the scoring tent. He was disqualified soon after the outburst.

More Booze, More Problems

Months after the Kemper Open meltdown, Daly quit in the middle of a round at the Kapalua International. He was suspended indefinitely and told to enter alcohol rehab.

In all, Daly has gone through alcohol treatment centers like the Betty Ford Clinic three times.

When he returned to tour, the play wasn't anywhere near his 1991 premiere. He went through a stretch from 1996 to 2001 without a win.

Instead, he was more known for having double-digit scores on holes and hitting multiple shots into ponds.

Women, Drugs, and Gambling Part of the Picture

Daly claimed in his 2006 autobiography that he has lost between $50 and $60 million while gambling since he rose to fame in 1991. He said he was able to pay most of the debts back through paid appearances and sponsorships, but it never stopped him from dropping an easy million on the $5,000 slots in Vegas.

He has also said that most of the players on tour had a cocaine problem—including himself—during the 1990s.

Daly has also lost plenty of money in failed relationships and run-ins with the law. He was charged with third-degree assault in 1992 for throwing his second wife into a wall in a drunken rage. The charges were dropped and Daly later said in his book that he has would never hit a woman.

His third wife Paulette has been linked to an alleged affair with Roger Clemens.

His fourth wife Sherrie allegedly attacked him with a steak knife at an after-round dinner in Memphis in 2007. Daly showed up to his tee time with cuts and scrapes across his face. She later was convicted on federal drug charges.

Another Suspension and a Comeback

Swing coach Butch Harmon quit in March 2008, saying that "the most important thing in [Daly's] life is getting drunk."

Seven months later, he was arrested in North Carolina after he was found passed out drunk outside a Hooters. That led to a six-month suspension from the tour.

Daly returned to golf in 2009 with a newfound conviction. The mental and physical exhaustion from the drunken binges seemed to be behind him.

He had gastric bypass surgery in early 2009 and has lost more than 100 pounds to date. The days of him refusing to work out in a health club because they wouldn't let him smoke were a thing of the past.

The Personality Shines Through

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We've always been rooting for Daly. TV execs know it. He's been the star of multiple reality TV shows that documented his rise and fall and rise again.

We love his quirks. He won't fly and instead drives the tour schedule via RV.

He fashions himself a singer and actually cut an album, "My Life," featuring guest performances by Willie Nelson and Darius Rucker. And he appeared as a background singer on Kid Rock's 2007 album, "Rock and Roll Jesus."

Then there's the fashion. He showed up for a champions luncheon in this get-up, which has become more his trademark than anything.

Who knows though? If the Open came down to a Woods vs. Daly showdown on Sunday, maybe we'd finally start thinking of him as a golfer again.