Notebook: Daly not fit to be tied for Champions Dinner

The lack of proper attire kept John Daly from the annual gathering of former Open winners. Plus, Colin Montgomerie likes Tiger Woods' chances, Jose Maria Olazabal is just happy to be here, Sean O'Hair is finally able to focus on his golf, and Bob Estes travels halfway around the world in vain.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (PA) -- John Daly missed the traditional Open Championship champions dinner earlier this week because of a wardrobe malfunction.

The dinner was held on Tuesday evening and several former champions not playing this week -- including Seve Ballesteros, Peter Thomson, Bob Charles and Gary Player -- attended along with the likes of defending champion Todd Hamilton and 2000 winner Tiger Woods. But Daly was missing.

"I didn't bring a coat or anything. I didn't think about it," the 1995 Open champion said. "I'm not into the dinners, man. You can't get a coat and a tie on this fat boy!"

Daly recorded a 1-under 71 in the first round, and was happy with the way he played in the tougher afternoon conditions.

"Here you've got to get some good breaks. I didn't have a lot of them, but I'm happy with the way I hit the ball," said Daly, who beat Costantino Rocca in a playoff over the Old Course in 1995. "Besides missing a couple of short putts, it was a pretty good day. This is one of my favorite courses in the world and it's great to be here."

OLAZABAL IS HAVING FUN: Jose Maria Olazabal took a central role in an Open Championship he thought he might only be watching.

The two-time Masters champion, who failed to qualify for St. Andrews and then was called in as replacement for Seve Ballesteros, finished the first day with a 68, two shots behind leader Tiger Woods, with whom he was playing.

"I'm really happy to be able to play the event, and I guess by being here I'm trying to enjoy it as much as I can," said Olazabal. "If you score well, obviously it's going to be more fun. That's the best I've hit it in quite a while and it's good to play with someone who plays such great golf."

MONTY LIKES TIGER'S CHANCES: Colin Montgomerie believes Tiger Woods could go on to emulate his memorable eight-shot victory in the 2000 Open at St. Andrews this week.

"It is ominous, unfortunately," said Montgomerie, who shot 71. "If ever a course was built for him, this is it. He won it by eight last time. Who is to say he won't do the same again?."

Montgomerie got off to a dreadful start by firing his drive into the Swilcan Burn and took a penalty drop to finish with a bogey.

"That's the first time I have done that in 20 years of play, " said the Scot. "I don't ever think I have missed that fairway. It was very poor."

Montgomerie managed to steady the ship only to send his second at 17 over the green and onto the road. However, he played a marvelous 6-iron and got up and down to save par.

"Getting a 71 is okay," he said. "It gives me something to work on tomorrow, a couple of birdies and suddenly you are three under."

PHOTO OP: Steve Webster wished he had taken his phone out on the Old Course Thursday after briefly sharing the Open Championship lead with Tiger Woods.

Webster, who finished as the leading amateur ahead of Woods at St. Andrews back in 1995, stormed to the turn in 30 with two birdies and two eagles. That lifted him alongside Woods at 6-under, but he then found sand on the next eight holes to stumble home in 41.

"I should have taken my phone out to take a picture of the leader board," joked Webster, 30, who won his first European Tour title in his 247th attempt in the Italian Open earlier this season. "The crowd was beginning to gather and the TV cameras were coming out, and I didn't mind that because it means your playing well.

"I really enjoyed seeing my name up there on the leader board," he said. "I was wondering how long it was going to stay up there. It all seemed to change as soon as I hit my tee shot on the 10th."

LIFE OF RILEY: Once happy-go-lucky, Chris Riley never looked so subdued after such a good round. He made a rare birdie on the Road Hole for a 68 that left him two shots out of the lead.

Then again, Riley has not been himself all year. Some suspect a fallout from the Ryder Cup, when he was lampooned for telling U.S. captain Hal Sutton he was too tired to play another match after teaming with longtime friend Tiger Woods in a rare American victory.

But Riley attributes his lackluster play to adjusting to life at home. His wife gave birth to their first child just before the Ryder Cup.

"I haven't been having the best of years, but I've been spending a lot of time at home with the baby," Riley said. "My game has suffered a bit, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. It's a great time in my life, but the adjustment has been tough. I just worry too much on the road about the kid."

Riley acknowledges he's lost his hunger, but expects it to return next year, when he's no longer is guaranteed a playing card. He is exempt on the PGA Tour for one more season because he was on the last Ryder Cup team.

"Fatherhood has definitely changed me," Riley said. "I'm trying to find the hungriness I once had, but I'm enjoying life."

O'HAIR'S WEEK: Playing golf has always been the easiest part for Sean O'Hair. His first round in the Open Championship was no exception. After the travails he went through to get to St. Andrews, O'Hair seemed at home on the Old Course with a 1-over 73 that started out looking even better.

The 23-year-old rookie qualified for the Open four days ago when he won the John Deere Classic. The only problem was he didn't have a passport.

Sponsors of the John Deere went out of their way to fly O'Hair back home to Philadelphia, then pulled some connections with the White House to expedite a passport process that usually takes weeks.

O'Hair got in one practice round Wednesday, then was 2-under on the front before making three bogeys over his final seven holes.

"I had three three-putts on the back nine and that really killed me," O'Hair said. "So I am pleased with 1-over, but I think I could always do better than that. My goal tomorrow is to get it back in the red, and I think I know the golf course well enough by now to do that."

ROAD HOLE: The Road Hole provided plenty of entertainment, as usual. Duffy Waldorf was 1-under for his round when he made triple-bogey on the 17th. Zach Johnson was even-par until taking a 9 and shooting 77.

But not all the shots were bad.

The most spectacular moment came when Nick O'Hern and Steven Webster each hit into the bunker in front of the green. O'Hern went first and blasted out to about 2 inches. Not to be outdone, Webster hit his bunker shot to 4 inches.

Even so, the par-4 17th played as the toughest hole with an average score of about 4.6.

EMPTY FEELING FOR ESTES: Caddie Chuck Mohr walked briskly up nearly empty streets Thursday morning toward the Old Course. It was 5:45 a.m., and he and his boss, Bob Estes, were in for a long day.

Estes was the first alternate at the Open Championship. He had to be at there for the first tee time at 6:30 a.m., and couldn't leave until the last group went off nearly 10 hours later. Cleaning out his locker soon after, Estes had an empty feeling, especially after flying in from Texas on Monday with no guarantee of playing.

"The only thing that would have bothered me is if they called my name and I wasn't there," Estes said.

He didn't get a tee time, but Estes got plenty of respect for going the extra mile -- about 6,000 in this case -- for a fleeting chance to play in golf's oldest major.

"I pretty much didn't think I'd get in, but I had to be ready," said Estes, known for meticulous work habits. "We got up really early. We were on the practice ground at 6 a.m. and doing a warm-up just in case, barring anyone getting sick or hurt. The next possibility would be somebody oversleeping and missing the morning tee time.

"The rest of the time," he added, "I've just been here in the clubhouse or eating a meal."

Estes flew over and went through 36-hole qualifying in 1990, the year he missed the cut. He finished three shots out of the playoff won by John Daly in 1995. He tied for 20th in 2000.

"It was expensive coming here, but it was worth it," Estes said. "I've played three Opens at St. Andrews. A lot of people would kill for just one. This is the world championship of golf. I know there are four majors, but this is the top of the list."

At least Estes got in one round at the Old Course on Wednesday. And he wasn't about to come all the way to Scotland without playing some more. Estes said he would watch the rest of the first round from his hotel room, have dinner at his favorite Italian spot, then look for a game Friday.

"I'm thinking of going over to Kingsbarn," he said. "That's supposed to be nice."

Copyright 2005 PA Sport and Associated Press. All rights reserved.

• News Index