Instead, Pacific Links International Korean ambassador, Eun Key Yoon, was left to talk about his day on Daly’s team.
“I think he’s the greatest golfer in the world,” said an excited Yoon, who was delighted to tee it up with the man known as Long John for his incredible length off the tee. “It was my great honour to play with John Daly. He was a very great partner. So today I was happy and [something] I will remember my whole life “
By all accounts, Daly and his fiancée/caddy/agent Anna Cladakis had a great time at Tuesday night’s draw party at the Westin Bear Mountain.
Daly’s team did not place in the top 10 on Wednesday. Teams led by John Cook and Scott Dunlap finished tied for first with scores of 55. Tom Byrum’s crew was third at 56 followed in the top five by Miguel Angel Martin and Joey Sindelar.
A total of 22 teams competed.
Two more pro-ams go today at 7:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.
Among them will be a pair of Grade 12 St. Michaels University School students, Alexa Matthews and Adrian Hof who will play with two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer in the morning. One hundred per cent of funds paid by their team to participate will go to the Help Fill A Dream charity.
• NEW HOLE: The Mountain Course, which the event plays, opened its new fifth hole this week.
“It was a lot of work on it all year that our team and grounds crew did and I’m proud of how it came out,” Bear Mountain director of golf Jordan Ray said of the 370-yard par-4, that was cut back from the original 460-yard par-4.
“It turned out to be a big project,” he said of moving the green forward to make room for the next real estate phase and road. “We put in a large bunker on the left-hand side of the fairway and a small one on the right to shape the hole and give it some teeth.”
The green sits behind the water hazard which originally required a 275-yard tee shot to get into trouble.
“They used to hit 3-wood and have a 5-iron in and now it’s more like a hybrid off the tee with a wedge into the green,” said Ray.
It’s now a 350-yard carry to get over the water hazard so you won’t see anyone attempt that, not even Daly.
The more drivable green is the par-4 17th which measures in at 381 yards, but downhill and often with wind behind.
Interestingly, the fifth green was completely transplanted as opposed to being re-sodded or planted.
• PAIRINGS: Daly will tee off at 10:19 a.m. on Friday along with Tom Lehman and Esteban Toledo, just ahead of Jeff Sluman, Jay Haas and Bernhard Langer at 10:30 a.m., with defending champion Colin Montgomerie with Scott McCarron and Corey Pavin at 10:41 a.m. and Joe Durant, Nick Faldo and Jesper Parnevik at 10:52 a.m.
Jim Rutledge heads out with Bobby Gage and Scott Parel at 11:58 a.m., the third-last group. The first tee time is 7:45 a.m.
