Reading Material: 6/12 (Golf Edition)
- Long John Daly had (and still has) more raw golf talent than anyone except for Tiger Woods: 17 years after Daly's Tin-Cup-style triumph at the PGA, he's still beloved of fans around the world. It's a crying shame alcoholism has robbed Daly of fulfilling even half his potential... [NY Times]
- Yes, the Fake Angeleno loves John Daly and loves golf. The Fake Angeleno's dad is a top-flight player and schooled the young F.A. in golf from about the age of 4 on. The U.S. Open starts today in San Diego: The world's top-three-ranked golfers (Woods, Mickelson, Scott) will play together today and tomorrow. Mickelson has finished second in a record four U.S. Opens, but has never won. The U.S. Open usually concludes on Father's Day, and this year is no exception. [NYT]
- I was watching with my dad when Payne Stewart won the U.S. Open on Father's Day 1999. On the last hole, he sunk a 20-foot put -- dead center -- to avoid a playoff with a young Phil Mickeleson. That Sunday, Mickelson was just days away from becoming a father for the first time. After Stewart, then 42, nailed the putt, he grabbed Mickelson, then 29, and spoke some serious, heartfelt words. I'm not sure exactly what the older man said, but I suspect it was something about how special fatherhood is and something along the lines of "your time will come to win this tournament." Stewart died in a plane crash about four months later. I'm picking Mickelson to win this year's Open. After all, it's being played on the course where his dad taught him how to play. [YouTube: Payne Stewart Wins 1999 U.S. Open]
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