This Week at TravelGolf.com: October 11, 2005

Only Mickey Mantle wasted
more talent than John Daly

John Daly blew another playoff in inexplicable manner Sunday. This time, he missed a three-foot putt that would be a gimme in the most heated $2 Nassau. Which followed the last time in April, when he blasted his tee shot into the pond against Vijay Singh coming off no playoff warmup but Marlboro puffs.

And so it goes for Big John, a legend of the people who's really the worst kind of sports lout.

No athlete in any sport's squandered as much talent as John Daly since Mickey Mantle. The Mick's mea culpa came in a national TV interview with Bob Costas, when he lamented how his magnificent stats could be the best of all time. If only he hadn't nearly drunk himself to death.

Don't expect any such regret from Daly in his twilight days. For it's not alcohol (though that played its part) but hubris that did in Daly. His insistence on treating everything as a joke whether it's a trip to Hooters or a PGA playoff is what's robbed the long one of his greatness.

The big chuckler should be Tiger Woods' biggest rival, charging hard after Jack Nicklaus' magic 18 himself. You're either blind or as PC as Phil Mickelson, if you cannot see Daly's talent dictates that.

Did you watch him trump Tiger's perfect 346-yard drive over the trees on Harding Park's no. 18 with an even more perfect 357-yard bomb that played blimp over Lake Merced and the trees? No one holds more natural golf talent than Daly. No one can see the inventive shot angles on a course better.

John Daly is a golfing Mozart with the self control of your average toddler.

For there is Daly seemingly taking a short playoff putt for granted. This guy doesn't choke. He sleepwalks.

Even the usually Tony Blair-tactful pleaser Tiger Woods could not play it straight when confronted with this unbelievable bungle.

"You don't want to win a tournament like that," Woods told ABC's Judy Rankin at American Express Championship close. "We should be going onto 17 (for a third playoff hole)."

Daly simply handed his putter to a fan, like it was on the equipment, not him.

Tiger seemed more disturbed by Daly's carelessness than buoyed by his own win. The best golfer in the world knows what it means to truly respect the game.

The most talented golfer in the world? The lovable lug with the Hooters owl on his shirt, NASCAR style?

He'll never hold the slightest clue.

As always, TravelGolf.com welcomes your comments.

Myrtle Beach, S.C. has some
great golf courses - just not these

There are more than 100 courses on the Grand Strand, making it one of top travel destinations for any golfer. Still, the law of averages prevails - not all golf courses are created equal. TravelGolf.com National Editor Tim McDonald takes a look at some of the courses he and other golf aficionados deem as unequal. Of course, with Myrtle Beach losing courses to housing developments, some of the lesser courses have already been swept aside.

Full story | A guide to what's (really) happening in Myrtle Beach

Fabulous foliage and weather
make northern Georgia a fall paradise

The leaves are doing their part to usher in fall in northern Georgia, now they await to be viewed in their multi-colored splendor by tourists seeking the perfect autumn setting. Northen Georgia in the fall is a grand experience for the senses, but doesn't have to be for the wallet. With package deals, lower green-fee rates and even a top resort that offers free golf for women, northern Georgia is a destination only missing you.

Full story | Reader Reviewers cleaning up with Free Club Friday

Is Annika Sorenstam's mojo
gone? Teens steal spotlight

As the year began, women's golf was abuzz with the promise of an Annika Sorenstam Grand Slam. As the year comes to a close, all anyone wants to talk about is the teen sensations and how they should dominate the LPGA Tour for eons to come. But with Sorenstam more than halfway to the LPGA record for most major victories, the spotlight of women's golf should be back on her sooner than you think.

Full story | Also: Celebrity golf tour: Nothing funny about $2 million