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Next week there will be a legitimate major championship at Bethpage Black.
We will also have a ridiculous side, at least for the first two days.
John Daly will tear him into the PGA Championship – while holding the wheel of a golf cart.
Yes, the goalkeepers welcome a 53-year-old who has spent a good part of his life careless and has no chance of winning.
"I think walking is an integral part of the professional golfer," said Nick Faldo, six times grand champion, at a conference call to promote event coverage by CBS. "I'm going to stop there."
Sir Nick is right.
If an arthritic knee does not allow Daly to follow such a demanding course – and we do not question his condition – he should not play.
Worse, this dubious decision deprives a player deserving of the opportunity to participate. The list of second-year substitutes is full of regulars on the PGA Tour, all of whom are likely to win the event if they are at the top of their game.
As of Friday, Richy Werenski was the first player to retire from the ranks of 156 players. Of course, you have to dive deep into the world rankings to find his name at No. 201, but let's not forget that Max Homa was 417th on the same list when he won at Quail Hollow last week. Or, in this regard, a ninth substitute named John Daly won the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick in 1991.
Since then, Daly's life has been largely a well-publicized train wreck, apart from the week of 1995 when he exploited his immense talent to win a second major title at the British Open.
Now there is more than a caricature of potential wasted by smoking and smoking. He has no reason to turn around the PGA Championship, he presents himself as a worthy player.
"I hope the fans will not be very pained," Daly told The Associated Press. "My knee is fucked. I had the meniscus cut out. I suffer so much osteoarthritis … I can climb a hill, I just can not get off one. "
The PGA of America stated that Daly had requested a cart as part of its American with Disabilities Act and had provided "the information necessary to allow his medical team to review his claim".
This application has been approved, which means that Daly will be the first player to ride in a basket at a major championship since Casey Martin at the Olympic Club's US Open in 1998 and 2012.
"I'm happy for him because I know John a little and that I'm certain he's not looking to get a benefit," said Martin, who is now the men's coach. University of Oregon, in an interview with Golf. com. "He just wants to play in a tournament in which he has a rich history. He just wants to be part of the action. I'm grateful he's so lucky. "
But Martin's was a different case. He suffers from a congenital abnormality in his right leg that restricts circulation, making it virtually impossible for him to walk 18 holes a day in four rounds. He successfully pursued the PGA Tour for the right to use a cart in a case that was referred to the US Supreme Court.
Although many golf purists blamed Martin for housing, his was a fair cause. He could do nothing about his condition and, frankly, deserved to be congratulated for overcoming such difficulties by playing golf at the highest level. Besides, it was such a rare case that he was unlikely to ever come back.
Daly, on the other hand, may have created a troubling precedent.
An arthritic knee is a disease that countless people face when they reach the age of 50. It's just a part of getting older. The fact that Daly was overweight for a large part of his career, to the point that he was operated on with a tummy tuck in 2009, probably contributed to his knee problems.
We're not here to shame the body, Daly, he might be dealing with some genetic issues, but there's plenty of evidence that his lifestyle has been a major factor in his physical deterioration.
Daly found his way on the PGA Tour Champions, a 50-year-old circuit that allows the use of carts. Last year, he had asked for a cart at the US Open Colorado, but had been refused by the USGA, saying the information he had provided did not support the idea of a waiver. Daly has vowed never to play another event with the USGA, which represents no loss for this organization.
But Daly will be walking around the PGA Championship, which is even more irritating when you consider that Bethpage Black does not even allow the general public to use carts. On its website, the state-owned facility is described as "a challenging and challenging course that should only be played by low-handicap golfers." The course is reserved for walkers.
If Daly wants to be on Long Island next week, he should do what he's done during Masters Week: install his RV on the nearest Hooters car park – there's one near Bethpage Black – for signing autographs and selling merchandise for a fan base still adoring him as a sort of hero of all time.
Let's leave golf to the real players.
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AP Golf Editor Doug Ferguson contributed to this report
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Paul Newberry is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at [email protected] or www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paul%20newberry
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For more AP golf coverage: https://apnews.com/apf-Golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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