Daly retirement talk just another bizzare twist

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Is John Daly retiring? In a word, no.

It sure sounded like it in an impromptu interview with GOLF CHANNEL producers, however, following his second-round 71 at the Farmers Insurance Open, where he missed the cut.

"I'm done," Daly said. When asked what he was done with, Daly responded, "with golf."

"I just can't do it anymore," Daly continued when pressed by a GOLF CHANNEL producer, who was on hand to film Daly for his reality show, "Being John Daly," with the network. "I'm tired of embarrassing myself."

Late Friday night, however, Daly said via his Twitter account that he never mentioned the word retirement, even though that's clearly what he was indicating in a post-round rant.

"I never said retirement," Daly said on Twitter. "Simply saying I need my time and am working through these bad times."

Saturday afternoon, Daly's agent, Bud Martin of SFX Golf, confirmed via e-mail that Daly isn't retiring.

"My financial situation is putting me where I cannot focus on my game," Daly continued on Twitter. "I'm putting too much pressure on myself.

"The few sponsors that I have are great, but it's not getting me through these times. Maybe my mind may change down the road, but right now I don't have the money to be on the TOUR. My game has never been the same since my rib injury during The Honda Classic in 2007.

Daly doesn't have a PGA TOUR card and his only status this year is as a past champion. He also can receive sponsor's exemptions. Last year, the five-time PGA TOUR winner and two-time major champion made the cut in three of six starts on TOUR, with a tie for 27th his best finish.

Was this a case of Daly being Daly, caught up in the emotion of two disappointing days at Torrey Pines? Or perhaps was it something fueled by his upcoming reality show? Perhaps.

It's not the first time Daly has spoken of retirement. He threatened quitting after shooting 88 in the Buick Open last summer, but Daly's swing coach said rapid weight loss triggered those comments, according to the Associated Press.

Daly, however, did at least sound sincere this time, choking up for a moment when asked if he was really done with golf.

"I can't keep taking spots from guys out here playing this bad," said Daly, who missed the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii in his only other action on TOUR this year.

When told he could return for the upcoming AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Daly responded, "No, I'm not going to take that spot away from anybody, either."

"I just can't do it anymore," he reiterated.

As it turns out, he can and will.

Daly's career has seen moments of triumph, but it has also been tumultuous. In 1991, Daly won the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick as the ninth alternate in the field. He went on to win four more times on TOUR, including at the 1995 British Open for his second career major championship. Ironically, his last victory on TOUR came at the 2004 Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines, where he beat Luke Donald and Chris Riley in a playoff.

Daly spent much of 2009 in Europe, where he played in 10 European Tour events. His best result was a tie for second at the BMW Italian Open. He also underwent massive changes to his physique, shedding more than 100 pounds following lap-band surgery.