The Trials and Tribulations of John Daly

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Oct. 29 (Bloomberg) -- John Daly, who's won two of golf's four major tournaments, spent the night in jail after police responded to calls for assistance with an intoxicated person at a Hooters Inc. restaurant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

 

Daly, who had earlier lost consciousness, refused to go to a hospital, leading emergency medical personnel to summon police about 2:17 a.m. Oct. 26, according to the police report.

 

Daly ``appeared extremely intoxicated and uncooperative,'' police said in their report of the incident. Daly is a ``regular'' at Hooters, one of his sponsors, according to the golfer's Web site.

 

Since the 42-year-old, who was asked to leave the premises by Hooters' personnel, had no transportation, officers took him into custody ``out of concern for his level of intoxication,'' police said.

 

He was taken to the Forsyth County Law Enforcement Detention Center for ``a 24-hour sober up,'' police said. Daly's agent Bud Martin didn't immediately answer an e-mail seeking comment.

 

In July, Daly challenged former coach Butch Harmon to ``be a man'' following a row about his lifestyle.

 

Daly, the 1995 British Open winner, had issues with Harmon after the coach dropped him and said in an interview with the Golf Channel that the ``most important thing in his life is getting drunk.''

 

Earlier this season, Daly, who also won the 1991 PGA Championship as the ninth alternate, spent most of a rain delay during the first round of the PODS Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida, in a Hooters hospitality tent.

 

When play resumed, Daly had Jon Gruden, coach of the National Football League's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as his caddie. He missed the cut after a second-round 80. Harmon then said Daly was more interested in alcohol than golf.

 

The following week, Daly was disqualified from the Arnold Palmer Invitational for missing his tee time for the event's Pro-Am tournament. Daly said he was given the wrong information by a tournament official.