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TSN Senior Reporter

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Happy birthday to the most wonderfully talented, sadly tormented and biggest hearted guy to ever put a tee in the ground.

John Daly turns 50 today and the Champions Tour is ready and waiting. He’ll make his debut next week at the Insperity Invitational.

It’s hard to believe that Daly has gone from that mullet-cropped, coke-drinking long-shot who won the PGA Championship and then the Open Championship, to somewhat of a carnival side show act, last seen hawking his wares outside the Hooters in Augusta during the Masters.

In that time, we’ve seen a large portion of his life play out in front of us. The divorces, the withdrawals, the admission of gambling and alcohol problems, the great tournaments and bad ones, the Loudmouth pants, the singing and guitar playing, the breaking of cameras, the breakdowns and the celebrations.

For sure, it’s never been boring.

For instance, one of the scariest moments I’ve ever witnessed on a golf course was at the 1998 Air Canada Championship in Vancouver, when Long John went into the shakes as he battled alcoholism. Despite temperatures into the 30s, he put on layer after layer of clothing trying to combat the uncontrollable shivering. He managed to finish his round although watching him persevere was as difficult as anything I’ve witnessed.

I was also there for a Skins Game in Mt. Tremblant, Que., when I saw Daly perform a remarkable act of generosity. While signing autographs, a youngster told the golfer it was his birthday. Daly ushered the kid under the ropes, put his arm around him, walked him into the pro shop and bought him a new set of clubs.

Daly will forever be known for extremes, both positive and negative. In his heyday his drives were longer than anyone else. And sometimes, so were his scores, such as the 18 he took on the sixth hole at Bay Hill after plunking six balls in the water.

As he once reminded me, though, he came back with a two on the next.

Though his ups and his downs, however, Daly has always been a crowd favourite. Sure watching him golf is a bit like watching a car race - there’s always the anticipation of a pile up. But other than Tiger Woods, no one had bigger galleries than Daly. He managed to play more than 100 tournaments since 2007 despite having no status. The bulk have come from sponsor exemptions as tournament organizers know that despite the eventual scores, Daly is still an attraction.

Although he is the only person ever to block me on Twitter - and for what, I’m not sure - I still admire Daly. I appreciate his honesty, accept his failures, which could just as easily be mine or yours, and respect his talent (he doesn’t get enough credit for his silky short game).

In the many years he came to Canada to play in the Skins Game, he was always generous with his time and his heart. He was always ready to sign an autograph, pose for a photo or engage a fan in a conversation. He returns annually to one of his first golf course designs, Thundering Waters in Niagara Falls, Ont., to play in an outing even though he’s not contracted to do so.

How will Daly perform on the Champions Tour? It might be interesting to see what he can do with a regular schedule and some time to practice, both of which have eluded him over the last decade.

I think he might surprise a few of us, and as we all know, that’s hard to do.