ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- Just when you thought John Daly had run out of ways to make himself relevant, he shoots 6-under par 66 Thursday to start the British Open.
"It's a good feeling," he said.
There has not been a lot of feel-good in Daly's life in quite some time -- maybe not since his 1995 British Open victory right here at St. Andrews.
For many of the 15 years since, Daly's game has been bad and the novelty act that is his identity wore thin. Even the circus can have too many clown acts and not enough popcorn.
"I've never run from my mistakes," he said.
Actually, he wore them like a perverse badge of honor, attracting a yee-hawing fan following of enablers. But to his credit, Daly's recent track record shows signs of moving beyond days when he seemed to relish an image built on bad marriages (four and holding), public drunkenness, gambling issues and the lack of respect for the sport he plays.
He was reminded that the British press used to call him "Wild Thing." So now what should they call him?
"Oh, I don't know," Daly answered. "How about Mild Thing."
Or maybe not. Daly showed Thursday appearing far more Thing than Mild. Dressed in purple paisley paints, a pink shirt, a baby-blue sweater vest and a turquoise cap, Daly looked like a box of Crayola Crayons had thrown up on him.
"All of these pants," Daly said of the clothing line he now represents, "the good thing about them is you can get dressed in the dark. Any shirt is going to match."
Daly obviously was enjoying the moment. He shot a front-nine 31 and had birdied Nos. 10 and 11 to get to 7 under. A bogey at 17 was the only blemish on his card. Finishing 6 under, he's right at the top of the leaderboard.
And it was vintage Daly, long-balling the Old Course into submission.
"I mean, for me the way I hit my driver today, I had so many opportunities," he said. "I could fly a lot of those bunkers and had a lot of wedges in there. It was just a good solid round."
Playing partner Andrew Coltart, who shot a 66 of his own, provided confirmation.
"Yeah, John looks in great form," Coltart said. "He was driving it great and looked very, very calm and composed. He could easily have been better."
It all makes for a sympathetic tale. Daly has not won since 1996. Plagued for the past three years by a shoulder injury, he has lost full-time playing privileges on the PGA Tour. He (apparently) is so burdened with money problems that he often tweets about signing merchandise for cash. He has fought weight problems, and after undergoing lap-band surgery to lose 100 pounds, has changed his diet.
Now he returns to St. Andrews and suddenly finds magic.
