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Daly show still must-see TV, when he's on

John Daly is doused after winning the Insperity Invitational golf tournament on Sunday, May 7, 2017, in The Woodlands, Texas. (Michael Minasi/Houston Chronicle via AP)

John Daly was about to take a two-stroke lead Sunday in the Insperity Invitational when one of the Golf Channel announcers started to say something about Daly's past troubles.

The guy hesitated, double-clutched into reverse, said those were well known and began to talk about how Daly had cooked for the tournament volunteers in front of his motor home earlier in the week at The Woodlands, Texas.

That's where Daly's troubles belong -- in the history books.

Daly hadn't won a golf tournament in more than 13 years, and on Sunday the announcers said he better go as low as he could while he could because the last three holes were game-changers.

Daly did, getting to 17 under to forge a two-shot lead, then bogeyed the last three holes, but he still won $322,500 for his one-stroke victory over Tommy Armour III and Kenny Perry.

Golf has changed quite a bit since Daly burst onto the scene by winning the 1991 PGA Championship.

Daly, 25 at the time, got into the tournament as the ninth alternate after Nick Price withdrew, and drove all night to get to Carmel, Ind., and Crooked Stick Golf Club, which was playing as the second-longest venue in PGA history.

When the sun set that Sunday on his three-stroke victory over Bruce Lietzke, his prize money was $230,000, or almost $100,000 less than he won for his first victory on the over-50 circuit called PGA Tour Champions.

Winning at Crooked Stick was the best thing that ever happened to Daly professionally, but soon the glare of the spotlight that seemed to burn brighter on the unconventional Daly would lead him on a ride that only he could survive.

Most guys who make the PGA Tour start taking private lessons at private clubs about a year after their terrible 2s.

Daly was handed two sawed-off golf clubs by his dad Jim and honed his game on a nine-hole course where nothing was private.

At one point, Daly seemed to be living out a country-western song. But all the while he was giving back, especially to people in Dardanelle, where he and older brother Jamie finally settled with mom, Lou.

Daly has always had a big heart.

A man was killed by lightning during the second round of that 1991 PGA Championship, and Daly gave $30,000 to his family.

A high school friend recalled that Daly came up to him on the sidewalk, told him he had a nice-looking watch and asked if he could he see it.

The friend took it off, Daly dropped it to the sidewalk and stomped on it, and before the friend could say a word, Daly handed him a Rolex.

He became very involved nationally in Make-A-Wish, and still personally granted a wish, even after he decided to move on to the Boys and Girls Clubs.

Daly has always seemed like he could have been that guy in the 1950s who rolled up to a golf course in a beat-up Buick and get challenged by the locals to play the golf pro. Daly would have warned them two or three times that he was pretty good, but three hours later he would have been stuffing his clubs and $10,000 in the trunk of his work car.

His openness and honesty made him one of the most compelling figures on the PGA Tour, especially those weekends when his talents were so obvious.

Before Sunday, Daly had won 10 tournaments as a professional, five on the PGA Tour including two majors (The Open Championship at St. Andrews was the second), and now he's added another trophy to the overflowing case.

Sometime Monday morning, Daly and fiancee Anna Cladakis got into their motor home and took off. No tournament this week, but next week they'll be in Birmingham, Ala., for the Regions Tradition, wearing matching clothes, smiling and living life their way.

Sports on 05/09/2017