Two time Major Champion John Daly will make his debut as a Member of The European Tour in this week’’s Heineken Classic at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Victoria.
The 35 year old American, who won the BMW International Open at Golfclub München Nord-Eichenried last September, becomes a Category 1 Member and admitted he is looking forward to the challenge of testing his skills on both sides of the Atlantic.
"For the first time everything in my life is the way I want it," said Daly. “I almost did it last year, but now I have and I think it's not only a good move on my part, but also good for golf and hopefully good for The European Tour.”
In Munich five months ago Daly birdied the final hole to claim the title with a superb 27 under par aggregate of 261 which, had it not been for the preferred lies in operation in the third round, would have tied the lowest under par total in the history of The European Tour.
The American shot rounds of 63-64-68-66 to pip Padraig Harrington by a stroke, the win helping his world ranking rise from 507th to 47th in the space of 12 months. Having equalled his best US PGA Tour finish for six years on Sunday when he was fourth in the Phoenix Open, Daly is looking to move even higher with a good showing Down Under.
He said: "I've been told that Royal Melbourne should be right up my alley if I'm driving it straight so I’’m looking forward to the week.”
Daly’’s win in Germany came six years after his memorable triumph in the Open Championship at St Andrews, where he beat Costantino Rocca in a four-hole play-off. He first sprung to international prominence when he won the 1991 US PGA Championship at Crooked Stick.
