John Daly has been suspended from the US PGA Tour for six months, according to multiple reports. The ban is reportedly for conduct that has brought unwelcome publicity to the tour, including an incident in October when he spent a night in jail in North Carolina sobering up after being taken into custody at a local Hooters restaurant.
Daly, a two-time major championship winner, was previously suspended from the tour in 1992-93. He has battled alcohol and weight problems throughout his career. He will, however, continue to play on the European Tour. Daly said the punishment has brought him unwelcome publicity. "Is it fair that I got suspended? It's not fair in reality, but it's probably fair in perception," he said. This is the second time he has been suspended, and called this the lowest point of a wild 18-year career. Daly, 42, has not played on the PGA Tour since he missed the cut in Las Vegas two months ago. Ten days later, police in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said he appeared intoxicated outside a Hooters restaurant, and he was taken to jail to sleep it off. That led to a photo of Daly in an orange jail suit with his eyes half-open.
Asked a month ago whether Daly had been suspended, the PGA said the tour does not discuss disciplinary action involving any player. Daly decided to go public with the suspension "to be fair to my fans and tournament organisers". His last victory was the Buick Invitational in 2004, and Daly said his five-year exemption as a past champion runs out this year. * With Agencies
