From the unapologetic bad boy of professional golf comes a rip-roaring account of his rollercoaster life and career From his battles with alcoholism and gambling addiction to marital problems (his fourth and current wife is facing money-laundering charges) and a highly publicized breakdown during a nationally televised tournament, John Daly has hit into his share of hazards. Daly’s play-it-as-it-lies approach drives a thrillingly candid memoir of a larger-than-life athlete battling the links, addiction, depression, weight problems, and, perhaps worst of all, divorce lawyers. Taking readers off the fairway and into his million-dollar motorhome for a rollicking ride through his life—a never-ending circuit of booze, golf, country music, and Hooter Girls—Daly reveals how a down home Everyman from Arkansas managed to conquer the greens, dodge the hazards, and finally take control of his life (sort of). Ever since his astonishing victory in the 1991 PGA Championship, John Daly has enthralled fans with his big drives, bigger personality, and his "grip it and rip it" approach to golf . . . and to life. Usually seen with a cigarette dangling from his lip, Long John is the unchained, unpredictable, unapologetic bad boy of professional golf. My Life In and Out of the Rough is the thrillingly—and sometimes shockingly—candid memoir of a larger-than-life athlete battling assorted addictions (alcohol, gambling, chocolate, sex), his weight, and divorce lawyers (having been married four times). Carrying readers off the fairway and into his $1.5-million motor home, Daly takes us on a rollicking ride through his ever-churning world of burgers, booze, casinos, country music, and breathtaking moon shots—and reveals how a down-home Arkansas Everyman rose to the pinnacle of the golf world, escaped from the depths of abject depression, and, ultimately, took control of his life. Well, sort of . . . John Daly is one of the most popular professional golfers in the world today. Celebrated for his towering tee shots, Daly has won the PGA's Driving Distance Crown a record-setting eleven times. He was named the 1990 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year and went on to win the PGA Championship the following year and the British Open in 1995. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling autobiography My Life In and Out of the Rough: The Truth Behind All That Bull**** You Think You Know About Me . My Life in and Out of the Rough The Truth Behind All That Bull**** You Think You Know about Me By John Daly HarperCollins Publishers Copyright © 2007 John Daly All right reserved. ISBN: 9780061120640 Chapter One Playin' the Tour and Lovin' Life Back in the summer of 1991, my first year on the PGA Tour, I wasn't exactly what you'd call a household name in golf, unless you happened to spend a lot of time in my mother's household. Finally, after three and a half years of scraping by on the minitours and the South Africa Tour following my decision to drop out of college and turn pro in 1987, and after four trips to the PGA Tour's brutal Qualifying School, I'd earned my Tour card for the 1991 season. By the beginning of August, I still hadn't won anything, but I'd made about $160,000 up to that time, so I was feeling okay. I wasn't tearing it up or anything, but I'd made a bunch of cuts, and I'd finished fourth at the Honda back in March and third in the Chattanooga Classic in July. All year, word had been spreading a little about this redneck kid from Arkansas who could really let it fly but sometimes had to do some looking for it after it landed. So at tournaments I'd draw some fans around the tee to watch me hit driver. I never saw too many people along the fairways watching me hit my second shot, but that was okay. I knew I had some other clubs in my bag. Anyway, I'd wind up that year leading the PGA Tour in driving distance with just under 289 yards (288.9, if you're a stats freak). That would be good for about number 98 in 2005, and probably out of the top 100 in 2006. But back then, it was like 6 yards ahead of Greg Norman, who was number 2, and people were taking some notice. Playin' the Tour and lovin' life -- man, I was 25 years old, and I had the world by the tail! As August rolled around, though, I hadn't made enough money to qualify for the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana, which is just outside of Indianapolis. I was close enough to know that if I'd made a few more putts along the way, I'd be getting ready for my first practice round. But I was far enough back at ninth alternate to figure I had no chance in hell of getting in. The week before, I'd played the Buick Open in Grand Blanc, Michigan, just outside of Flint, and I'd stunk up the place, missing the cut by a bunch. So I went back to Memphis, where I'd just closed on my first home and spent $32,000 I couldn't afford on a new BMW for Bettye, my fiancée. I did pretty much what I always did when I was home. Practiced at Chickasaw