John Daly's abrupt departure from the New England Classic leaves the tournament without its main attraction and the mercurial golfer with another blemish on his record.
Daly, citing exhaustion, was one of two golfers to withdraw after Thursday's first round, but little notice was paid to the exit of Steve Lowery after shooting a 76.It was Daly, once suspended after picking up a ball last November in a tournament in Hawaii, who drew the attention, as he usually does wherever he plays golf.
There was no indication that any action would be taken against either golfer. PGA commissioner Tim Finchem said he might talk with Daly after he learns the details of the withdrawal.
Tournament director Ted Mingolla said he was disappointed, but understood Daly's decision. After playing for five straight weeks, the pace was just too great, Mingolla said.
"He really looked uncomfortable, so it wasn't an act," Mingolla said after meeting with Daly. "He said that he was mentally and physically completely drained."
Through 16 holes, Daly was at even par. But he shot a triple-bogey 7 at the 17th and bogeyed the 18th. He finished at 4-over-par 75, 11 strokes off the lead.
Mingolla said Daly probably wouldn't have made the cut after today's second round. But fans who bought tickets to see him play today were left hanging. The tournament has only two of the top 20 money-winners on the tour.
Daly's presence "was the biggest spurt that this event has had in recent years, if not beyond that," Mingolla added. "The Friday advance sale was also the best we ever had."
Daly left in a hurry Thursday without talking to reporters.
It had been a long grind since he played in the U.S. Open in mid-June, missing the cut. He played the next four weeks at the Greater Hartford Open, where he was disqualified for signing an erroneous scorecard, the Irish Open, the Scottish Open and the British Open.
It was at the Scottish Open where he was quoted in a newspaper as saying he believes some golfers are using cocaine and other drugs.
He toned down his comments later, saying, "I don't know of anybody who does drugs on the tour, but I have heard rumors. I don't know it, but I believe it."
Finchem met with Daly about his remarks and said Thursday "the matters I discussed need to remain confidential."
Since bursting on the scene with a victory at the 1991 PGA Championship, Daly's long drives, battle with alcoholism and crowd-pleasing style have drawn attention. He's attracted massive galleries.
"He can't walk from the course to his car without drawing a crowd," Mingolla said. "He said his back was bothering him, but it didn't sound like that was the reason he decided to withdraw. I think everything caught up with him, physically and mentally."
He acknowledged that Daly's history might provoke suspicion of his true motives.
"Anything he does now is quickly construed he made another mistake or caused another problem," Mingolla said. "I don't think we should prejudge that."