Daly back in limelight after Buick Invitational

He won for the first time in nine years in a sudden-death playoff.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN DIEGO -- John Daly might have been the only person who saw this coming.
Nine years removed from his last PGA Tour victory, there wasn't much to indicate he was capable of winning, much less against Tiger Woods and a strong field assembled at the Buick Invitational.
Off the course, life was even worse.
His wife faces drug and gambling charges from a federal indictment handed down in July, just five days after she gave birth to his first son. He had to withdraw from one tournament because he was hyperventilating. There were rumors, which Daly denied, that the tour had banned him until he sought treatment for drinking.
That's what made his victory Sunday so sweet to Daly -- and such a shock to everyone else.
"I never doubted," Daly said, choking back tears. "I knew I could win again."
Even more impressive was the way he won at Torrey Pines.
Highest final round by winner
Despite closing with a 75, the highest final round by a winner in 13 years, Daly hit a 100-foot bunker shot that trickled 4 inches from the cup for a tap-in birdie to prevail in a three-man playoff.
It wasn't over until Luke Donald missed a 6-foot birdie putt, and Chris Riley's 5-foot birdie putt made a horseshoe around the cup and popped out.
Daly covered his face with his hands and cried.
"It's the greatest," he said. "I've had a lot of ups and downs. Geez, this is sweet."
Daly had a lot of up-and-downs throughout the final round. As in life, he managed to survive. He saved par out of the bunker on No. 12 and No. 16, clinging to a one-shot lead.
Riley holed a clutch birdie putt from 15 feet on the fringe to finish with a 69 at 10-under 278, eliminating Phil Mickelson and five others at 9-under.
Moments later, Donald made a birdie putt from almost the same spot to join Riley at 10-under.
Laid-up on final regulation hole
Daly had a chance to win in regulation, but with 265 yards over the pond to the hole, he decided to lay up and trust his wedge, which has "Dr. Chipinski" stamped on the back of it.
He made par with a two-putt from 35 feet, and vowed to never do that again.
Walking down the 18th fairway, he told his caddie that if he had anything under 275 yards to the front of the green, he was going for it.
Daly had 262 yards. He went for it, putting his 3-wood in a greenside bunker.
The bunker shot was exquisite, with thousands of fans nearing delirium as the ball approached the cup.
Woods made a strong charge to get within two shots of the lead, but then missed four straight fairways and dropped two shots, closing with a 69 to finish in a tie for 10th, two shots out of the playoff.
ACE Group Classic
NAPLES, Fla. -- Craig Stadler holed a 27-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff with Tom Watson and Gary Koch.
Stadler closed with an even-par 72 to match Watson (67) and Koch (71) at 10-under 206. The 1982 Masters champion has four victories in 16 starts on the Champions Tour, and also won the PGA Tour B.C. Open last year.
Koch, who had a three-shot lead with five holes to go in regulation, missed a 31-footer for birdie before Stadler's putt. After Stadler made his putt, Watson missed a 10-footer.
ANZ Championship
PORT STEPHENS, Australia -- England's Brian Davis birdied 10 holes in a 17-point final round in the modified Stableford event.
Davis finished with 44 points on the Horizons Golf Resort for a one-point victory over countryman Paul Casey in the tournament co-sanctioned by the Australasian and European tours.