Article by Mark Huber - 20 Year PGA Tour Caddy

BIO - Mark's Kaddy Korner

 

Tiger and Stevie created all the excitement on the course last year; J.D. and Peter had some thorny matters off the course, but I don’t think anyone knows the complete story. John dealt with some difficult issues that week, and those broad shoulders perched over his beer gut handled them very well. Everyone knows he was DQ’d because he missed his Wednesday pro-am time and Butch Harmon, his swing coach, had some disparaging public remarks about John. All of this hit the tabloid front pages; it was Golf Central breaking news; and on the cover of periodicals.

John’s bus was parked at Celebration Country Club all week; we hung out at the Celebration Town Tavern; and I watched John Daly deal with the turmoil. He came in from Tampa and the John Gruden/Hooters incident the Saturday before. It started Monday, escalated through the week, and he dealt with it all smiling, contributing what he could to Robert Gamez’s foundation pro-am. Monday night started with an appearance on Leaderboard Radio at the Town Tavern. He had played in Arnold’s Monday pro-am; we were relaxing with a few beers, and he was the key guest on the weekly two hour talk show hosted by Ian Davies.

All was going well, the crowd was enjoying the show and John’s company until three a@%#oles arrived in a limo. They walked onto the patio, started badgering John about being fat and not able to play anymore while he was being interviewed, and then turned on the crowd. Peter, John’s caddy, and I were sitting at a table with Robert’s old friend Hank. John politely dismissed them but they continued their insulting behavior, and we couldn’t handle the abuse. We stood up, kindly asked them to move on, and one of them pushed old Hank to the ground.

All hell broke loose for about thirty seconds; I was wrestling on the ground with the main culprit; Ian Davies had some bloody knuckles from a well placed fist; and John was the voice of reason. He stood on a chair, towered over the melee and bellowed, “Knock it off! Stop this shit right now; we don’t need this here at Billy’s place!” His presence cooled the bash and everyone separated then replaced the overturned chairs and tables. John escorted the three culprits to a back room table, spent time with them creating some peace, and even set up a game with them later in the week. Turns out they were Bay Hill members who nobody particularly cares for;

I think the ringleader’s name was Regis. If the papers had caught wind of the incident, who knows what the headlines would have been.

Tuesday we saw John on the putting green. He had played golf with some friends, answered numerous questions about Butch Harmon’s public remarks, but still had that childish grin. We met at the Town Tavern for dinner and a review of last night’s rhubarb. John didn’t want to take any credit for peacemaker, but did show us the text he received from Butch earlier that day. I realize Butch is one of the top teachers in the world, but nobody has the right to say the things he said in that text. There were no telephone calls or personal conversations, just text messages and Butch’s diatribes in the press. John shrugged it off, sought no retribution, and sipped on his diet Coke throughout the evening. Tom Glavine and a few other major leaguers came in, and John joined them before heading home early.

We all asked John and Peter what time they were playing the next day. Their tee time seemed odd and we said they should double check it.

They both said, “Nope, this is what the tournament office gave us, it must be right.”

The tournament office staff gave John and Peter their Thursday tee time instead of the pro-am time. John was on his way to the course Wednesday for his assumed 11:11 time when he got a call from PGA tour officials telling him he was DQ’d from the tournament for missing his morning tee time.

John pleaded his case, but refused to place the blame on anyone but himself and Peter. Those broad shoulders have a pretty good base, plus they have had a lot of exercise over the years. Through all his turmoil John always accepts the blame and carries on with his life. He could have split town right then, packed up his bus and went home, but he stuck around. There were some charity commitments to keep and some neglected pro-am guests he wanted to play golf with over the weekend.

John apologized to Arnold and tournament sponsors; contacted the four guys he was supposed to play with Wednesday and rescheduled a Saturday round with them. He didn’t have to do it; his big heart forced him. We kept an eye on John during the rest of the week, kind of a suicide watch, but it wasn’t necessary. He spent the days playing golf, hanging out at the bus, and making new friends. There were no drunken binges, I’m not going to say there was no drinking, and John hung around for Robert’s charity functions over the weekend.

None of this made the front pages. Golf Channel made an effort to get John’s side of the story but it didn’t get the same amount of air time as his screw-up. The papers made a minor reference to the Saturday round with the deserted pro-am team. There wasn’t much mentioned about two other players being DQ’d for pro-am infractions, only John made the headlines. John told us he didn’t care; he was doing the right thing; that’s all that matters.

Every time we stopped by the bus there was time for conversation and laughs. Some friends of mine were in town and he made them feel like long lost buddies. The guitar was out on the couch, the fridge was stalked, and John’s arms were open to everyone. The town of Celebration adopted him that week and vice versa. It wasn’t about John the golf celebrity; there was a lot about John the person. The local folks saw what John Daly is really like; they felt attached to the big guy.

Saturday Robert’s foundation put on a concert in downtown Celebration. J.D. was one of the first to arrive and positioned himself in front of the stage. Throughout the night he never turned down an autograph seeker, picture taker, hand shaker, or a beer; and joined Hootie and the Blowfish for a few songs. He was the center of attention but really just wanted to be part of the crowd and help raise money for Robert’s children charities. John walked through the crowd coaxing cash from their pockets into the jug he was carrying then quietly disappeared after he felt his job was done.

John was there for the charity dinner on Sunday night and of course the Monday pro-am. His shirt was on at all times and his crew seemed to be having a great time every time I cruised by them. I believe he was in flip-flops and his celebrity partner got some special attention; she was a cute C&W singer; I don’t blame him. Most pros would have been long gone after the debacle on Wednesday, but John didn’t abandon his friends. He waved his appearance fee but wanted nobody to know; he was having fun for a good cause.

Maybe Bay Hill week was the start of his problems last year that led to his suspension last fall. We’ve missed the loveable S.O.B. out here on tour; hopefully the suspension will do him some good. It was getting a bit out of control; the big heart and shoulders can only carry you so far. John is good for golf up to a point; the PGA Tour and corporate sponsors can only handle so much. Maybe this suspension should have been handed out long ago, but it’s hard to get pissed at John. That sheepish grin, shrug of the shoulders, and, “Sorry Pards’” has got him out of a lot of jams.

We all hope the grin comes back and wins a few more tournaments before his career is over.