Daly Plays It Straight To The Top Birdie String Brings First-Place Tie With Love

John Daly was back in control of his life and his golf game at the PGA Championship.

Four months ago, he was in an ambulance, fearing he was dying after another descent into alcoholism ended in a drunken rage in a Florida hotel.

On Thursday, a slimmer and sober Daly shook his head in calm amazement as he looked back over his record-tying 66 at Winged Foot Golf Club, searching for the words to explain his struggles on and off the course.

“I’m always scared what’s going to happen next,” Daly, who burst on the scene when he won the 1991 PGA Championship at age 25, said after his 4-under-par round tied for the first-round lead with Davis Love III.

“I used to pump my fist in the air when I made some putts and stuff,” Daly said, almost as if dazed by his performance. “I don’t know. I think it’s just more relaxed.”

On a day when Winged Foot played as easy as it gets, Robert Allenby bogeyed the last hole and was at 67, while two strokes back at 68 was a group that included Greg Norman, Justin Leonard, Tom Kite and Paul Azinger.

Phil Mickelson, Lee Janzen, Mark O’Meara, Tom Lehman and Jim Furyk were among another large group at 1-under-par 69.

Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and David Duval were among those at even-par 70. Former Pullman resident Kirk Triplett shot a 3-over 73.

But only Love could match Daly, who combined his awesome power with wise club selection, brilliant iron play and steady putting to close with three consecutive birdies on very difficult holes.

Through it all, Daly walked along under his unfamiliar white Ben Hogan-style hat with eyes fixed ahead, only casually acknowledging the gallery with a wave of the hand.

Driving with a 3-wood on the three closing holes - par-4s measuring 457, 449 and 448 yards - Daly hit drives of 301, 312 and 292 yards and was able to flip short irons at the flag on the soft, receptive greens.

He rolled in putts of 5 feet, 4 feet and less than a foot for a 31 on the back nine and a 66 that matched the competitive record at Winged Foot set by Fuzzy Zoeller in the second round of the 1984 U.S. Open.

“It was three of the hardest holes in golf, or pretty close to them,” Daly said. “It just really made my day. It’s just a wonderful feeling to birdie all three of those.”

Love also handled those holes, making birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 to get a share of the lead.

“I holed a few putts right off the bat,” said Love, who was the only player to get to 5-under par, hitting that at the 6th-hole mark. “That gave me some confidence.

He gave that back with three bogeys in six holes beginning at No. 8, then closed with the two birdies.

“I picked it up coming in,” Love said.

Softened by rain on Wednesday, Winged Foot was vulnerable to anyone who kept the ball out of the wet, 6-inch-deep rough.

“This is probably as easy as it’s going to get,” Kite said. “Winged Foot is not going to take this lying down.”

Woods felt the kick of Winged Foot. For the third consecutive major championship, he was plagued by a big-number hole that sabotaged otherwise fine play, making a double-bogey 7 on No. 12.

The Masters winner played in the glamour group of the day - this year’s three major championship winners. Woods and U.S. Open winner Ernie Els had a stirring birdie exchange on the front nine, making six between them in a four-hole stretch beginning at No. 4.

But it was Leonard, the British Open champion, who was the tortoise outlasting the faster-starting hares. He hit only seven greens in regulation but, beginning with an intentionally bladed sand wedge that found the hole on No. 9, needed only 11 putts on the last 10 holes for a 68.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: PGA LEADERBOARD First round (6,987 yards, par 35-35): John Daly 35-3166 Davis Love III 31-3566 Robert Allenby 32-3567 Paul Azinger 35-3368 Tom Kite 31-3768 Justin Leonard 34-3468 Shigeki Maruyama 34-3468 Chris Perry 34-3468 Paul Stankowski 33-3568 Bob Tway 33-3568 Greg Norman 34-3468