If confession is good for the soul, John Daly must be close to sainthood. With only gentle prodding from the US media, the erstwhile Wild Thing has been recalling his extraordinary, booze-filled days, 10 years on from a remarkable USPGA triumph at Crooked Stick.

He has been remembering how, at 25, he might have drunk himself into oblivion as a rebel with no particular cause, had it not been for that 11th-hour call-up as a replacement for Nick Price. How he had driven all night to the course in Carmel, Indiana and won the last major championship of the 1991 season without a practice round.

There was a pay-day of $230,000 and lucrative sponsorship deals which seemed to guarantee a long-term future with no financial problems, whatever his spending habits. But his would-be benefactors of the time, never bargained for the profligacy of a self-destructive client.

As his father observed: "When you're successful early, you've got people throwin' money at you. Millions! John never had any money. He wasn't ready for that kind of money. It'll make you crazy." After squandering those millions, Daly is happy to acknowledge the wisdom of his father's words. "When you give me money, I'm going to spend it." Which is, perhaps, what makes the man so likeable.