84 Lumber Classic notebook
Daly won’t be around for the weekend FARMINGTON – John Daly won’t be around for the weekend in the 84 Lumber Classic for the third time in four years after following up a first-round 78 with a 74 on Friday, missing the cut by seven strokes.
That’s not to say his peers are glad he’s gone. Daly remains a fan favorite, and is liked by most of his fellow golfers.
Sean O’Hair played with Daly and Chris Couch on Friday and enjoyed the experience.
“It’s fun,” O’Hair said. “I mean he’s a great guy. You know, he’s got a different approach to the game, which is kind of refreshing to be honest with you.
“He’s just a nice guy, very down to earth.”
Daly had his moments. He drove the bunker on No. 14 with a 327-yard tee shot, stuck his approach on the green to within 17 feet and drained the birdie putt to draw a load roar from his huge following.
Moments later the crowd oohed and awwed as Daly performed his specialty, which is hitting his driver off the tee, this one sailing 321 yards.
“He very much appreciates the crowd,” O’Hair said. “The crowd really takes to him, and I think he really appreciates it. It’s nice to see somebody get the recognition and not it for granted, because I think a lot of guys get so used to people cheering for them out here that sometimes they don’t appreciate it as much as they probably should.
“It was a pleasure playing with him.”
Up and down
Boyd Summerhays missed the cut, but he didn’t go quietly.
Summerhays improved 10 shots on his first-round 81 by firing a 1-under 71, which was the biggest difference in the field.
Joe Durant and Henrik Bjornstad also played much better in the second round and were rewarded with passes into the weekend.
Both were seven shots better on Friday, Durant going from a 76 to a 69 and Bjornstad going from a 75 to a 68 as both made the cut.
At the other end of the spectrum was Robert Gamez, who added 10 shots to his first-round 66 with a 4-over-par 76. Gamez still made the cut, however.
Finally getting No. 2
Ben Curtis is looking for his third victory on the PGA Tour, but it took him a while to garner his second after winning the 2003 British Open.
Curtis struggled the past two years, but this year he picked up Tour win No. 2 at the Booz Allen Classic.
“It was important, I think, obviously to get that monkey off your back,” Curtis said. “But I try not to worry about it too much. I just try to play my game and try to play golf and try to do the best I can.
“Fortunately for me, that week was good enough.”
Lucky No. 11
O’Hair was more than pleased to pull out a birdie on what he considers one of the most challenging holes at Mystic Rock.
“I made a great birdie on No. 11,” said O’Hair. “I think that’s one of the toughest lay-ups in golf, because there’s no place to hit it. I hit it in the middle of the fairway, which is probably the first time I’ve hit that fairway.”
Still, O’Hair had work to do with the conditions.
“With that wind blowing towards that water left to right, if you push it a hair, it’s in the water, if you pull it, it’s in the water, if you hit it fat, it’s in the water,” O’Hair said. “So I was like, ‘I really hope I hit this well.'”
He did.
“I nailed a 3 wood and left myself a nice little pitch shot,” O’Hair said. “It was 77 yards to the pin. It went beyond the hole, sucked back and I made the putt, so that was great.”
O’Hair finished with a 69 after a first-round 67 to sit one-stroke off the lead.