Daly Feeling More Confident After Shooting Final-Round 69

John Daly said there’s nothing wrong with his game after shooting a 69 Sunday, and he established a timetable for being in contention.

“By Phoenix,” Daly said.

By the time he gets to Phoenix, he’ll be ready, said Daly, meaning the Phoenix Open in three weeks.

“It’s not real far away,” he said.

Daly finished tied for 20th with a score of 290, but he improved his score each round. Daly shot 75-74-72-69 in the Mercedes Championships at La Costa.

“A good, solid round for me,” Daly said of the final round. “I got a lot of feel back.”

It was Daly’s first tournament since voluntarily leaving the PGA Tour last August after a flurry of controversy.

Since he had not played a tournament since then, Daly’s expectations this week were minimal.

“Not to finish last.” he said. “My goal was to get a round in 74 or better. To finish two-over (par) for the tournament, that’s not bad. I’m real happy after not playing for three months. The time I stayed away from the game might have done me some good, just getting away.”

Daly’s playing schedule resumes next week at the United Airlines Hawaiian Open, then the Northern Telecom Open in Tucson and the Phoenix Open.

After that, Daly will play in Australia for three weeks before playing the Nissan L.A. Open at Riviera. “I love Riviera,” Daly said. “I know what to hit to every green.”