John Daly Drops 115 Pounds, Poised For A Comeback?

Last year’s Australian Open capped off a long list of personal and professional incidents that seemed to be pushing John Daly deeper into a downward spiral. You may remember he smashed a fan’s camera against a tree and beat a hasty retreat to parts unknown, leaving many golf fans to shaking their heads and worrying about his future.

That’s why this Caveman is happy to report Big John’s making headlines in advance of this year’s Aussie Open for some good reasons, chiefly a shocking weight loss of over 115 pounds! Daly had a lap-band procedure, which reduced the size of his stomach and added several restrictions to his diet, not least of which was a strict limit on his alcohol intake – both issues that John had struggled with for years.

How’s the weight loss has affected his golf game? “The problem now is getting ahead of it [the ball] – getting too fast rather than laying back on it. But it’s starting to come back,” Daly said. He’s also mentioned he has a lot more energy than he used to, and that may be the most important advantage for him going forward. Hopefully he’ll be able to stay stronger for longer and add to his win list in 2010!

But hold on: critics are quick to point out that John’s still suckin’ down cigarettes and Diet Coke like he used to, and being in better shape doesn’t mean he’ll be able to keep the focus needed to win a professional golf tourney. On top of that, he’s still working on releasing an album of country tunes. So while he’s made great strides towards restoring his golfin’ career, the path still isn’t clear and no one can say how long he’ll keep it together this time.

Anyway, here’s one fan who’s hopin’ he gets back on track and pulls out a win (or five) this coming season!

-Scratch

PS: Do YOU think John Daly has what it takes to make another run at pro golf?