Daly Will Try Same PGA Strategy, but Bellerive May Be Rough on Him

John Daly followed his “grip-it-and-rip-it” philosophy to a startling victory and instant celebrity last year at Crooked Stick, and will stay with it in an attempt to defend his title in the tournament that begins today on long, tough Bellerive Country Club.

Daly, however, said he has little hope that the long drives launched from his wrap-around swing will make it a successful defense. “I just hope to play about half as good as I did last year,” he said before a final practice round for the last of the year’s major events.

“I’ll just play the best I can and see what happens,” he said.

And, while he will use a new driver with a massive head, called “the Killer Whale,” at every opportunity, the meandering fairways of Bellerive will take it out of his hand on several holes.

“I’ll probably have to hit the one-iron on five or six holes” to avoid driving through the fairways on doglegs, he said.

“Crooked Stick didn’t have any doglegs,” he said. “And this course is a lot tighter than Crooked Stick.”