Daly and Zoeller: Long Road Back

From the very beginning, there was something that drew John Daly and Fuzzy Zoeller together. They were two good-natured guys who liked a drink, a smoke and a laugh. And the galleries loved them both.

Now they share something else: the need to get their careers back on track.

And though it is early in the year, things seem to be going well for both.

Daly and Zoeller not only lost their games last year, they lost their major endorsement deals--Daly after a drunken spree that landed him back in alcohol rehabilitation and Zoeller after making racial jokes about Tiger Woods.

At very different stages in their careers--Zoeller is 46 and winless in nearly 12 years, Daly is 31 and should be approaching his peak years--both seem determined to bury the past.

“Good things are happening,” Zoeller said during the weekend at the Buick Invitational, where he shot a 63 in the first round.

“Everything happens for the best,” he said in clear reference to the turmoil of last year. “That’s all I’m going to say about it.”

Still one of the most popular players in the game and still a great ball-striker, Zoeller thinks his putting troubles of last year were corrected by a prescription change in the right lens of his glasses.

“I’m trying to lower my handicap by a notch and that’s the kind of number that will do it,” Zoeller said after his 63. “Last year I hit the ball real well but couldn’t putt.”

Zoeller lost endorsement deals with K-mart and Dunlop following the Woods flap. But with new money now on board, he seems to be playing with his old confidence.

He signed a clothing deal with Sport-Haley, a Denver company, following that with a club contract with Daiwa and a deal with Ocean Waves sunglasses.

Zoeller slipped to finish 53rd at the Buick, but he was eighth at the Bob Hope Classic, shooting 21 under par for 90 holes, and was among the contenders at Pebble Beach at 4 under par when the tournament was halted.

Keeping his playing card this year by exercising his one-time special exemption for being among the top 50 on the all-time money list, Zoeller has already won more than half of what he made all last year.

“El Nino is the only crab we have out here.” Zoeller said. “Other than that, everything is fine.”

Daly’s comeback has been even more startling. He’s been under par in all four tournaments he’s played and his $30,450 check for finishing 16th at the Buick pushed him past $85,000 in winnings this year after earning only $106,762 all of last year.

The long hitter, who nearly died and ended back in rehab after a drinking spree at the Players Championship last March, also lost lucrative equipment deals with Wilson, which dropped him in April, and Reebok, which didn’t renew his contract at the end of the year.

But, like Zoeller, Daly has found people who believe in him.

Most important was Ely Callaway, the 78-year-old founder of the equipment company that carries his name. Showing a personal concern that exceeded his financial stake in Daly, Callaway cleaned up some gambling debts for him and has kept a close eye on his recovery.

In January, Daly added another endorsement deal when he signed with Ancona, a manufacturer and distributor of Italian golf apparel.

Daly and Zoeller are both chain-smokers who used to like to share a laugh over a drink. Zoeller was among those who came to Daly’s aid that night at the Players Championship when he was rushed to a hospital in an ambulance.

“Fuzzy is my big brother out here,” Daly said. “He always will be.”

Daly said Zoeller and other golfers have been supportive and respectful of his renewed commitment to stay sober.

“I know they won’t have a drink in front of me, and that shows a lot of class,” he said.

Daly also feels that his friendship with Zoeller (who kiddingly calls Daly “Pig”) was deepened by the troubles both had last year.

“It’s unfortunate what Fuzzy and I went through,” Daly said.

Stitched on the side of Daly’s bag is the appropriate slogan Callaway uses to promote him: “Keep It Straight, John.”

Also stitched on the bag are these word of comfort: “God. Serenity. Courage. Wisdom.”

They are words Zoeller as well as Daly will need to bear in mind as the year goes on. That will be especially useful for Zoeller at the Masters and for Daly at the Players Championship.

Here’s hoping they both weather the inevitable storms.