SOUTHAMPTON (Bermuda) – Although it was only one birdie in a day that featured over 650, it caused the most roar during Thursday’s first round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. It was John Daly, and it was in a precarious spot, which is no surprise. Daly said, “Horrible lie”, as his second shot at the par-4 9th hole (383 yards) was sailed through the green and into thick fringe. Daly looked at it briefly, then he agreed with Pete Jordan, his long-time PGA TOUR member, that the putter was the best play. Daly closed his eyes, pushed the ball onto the green and watched the ball roll down the hill to the cup. Daly was left at even-par71, miles from Austin Smotherman’s lead of 9-under with 100 players breaking par. The crowd gathered around the ninth and 18th greens was not impressed. Daly’s birdie was greeted with cheers and applause by the crowd. “It’s awesome. I have been blessed by people who are so kind to me. Daly said, “I love them for that.” Daly was here to receive a sponsor’s exemption. He was 56 years old and had a lot of aches and hurts. Why is he still here? “I just wanted the opportunity to play. “I just wanted to play. Daly said that his left knee is still bandaged. He recently underwent a platelet-rich plasma procedure for arthritis relief. The same procedure was done to his right knee several years ago. Daly had an injection in his left wrist earlier this week to alleviate arthritis pain. How was he feeling other than that? Daly looked confused. Daly shook his head. He was at even-par with an inward 3-under 33. His left wrist and knees were painful, but it was the putter who caused him the most pain in Round 1. “I hit it pretty well, for me, so I got a lot of stares. However, I putted awful. Daly was T123 out 132 in putting. Daly was ranked first in terms of the amount of noise generated by his fourth birdie. He admitted that this is why he continues to play.
By: Jim McCabe
Title: John Daly returns, ignites the crowd at Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Sourced From: www.pgatour.com/news/2022/10/27/john-daly-returns-ignites-crowd-at-butterfield-bermuda-championship.html
Published Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2022 15:00:00 -0400
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