John Daly was out of the hospital and playing golf again Sunday less than 24 hours after he was stricken on the course with what he says was a collapsed lung.
The two-time major champion was taken by ambulance to Baptist Medical Center on Saturday after he collapsed on the 18th tee during an outing at Deerfield Country Club in Canton, Miss. Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) said doctors ran tests and X-rays but found no other serious problems besides the lung.
“I was having a great time and then suddenly — boom — I’m falling down while on the 18th tee and the next thing I know I’m in an ambulance,” Daly said. “It was scary.”
Daly was back at Deerfield on Sunday, smoking cigarettes on the clubhouse patio while mingling with some of the other players before his round. The tournament is a small, local gathering that includes some of Daly’s friends.
Daly’s agent, Bud Martin, said in an email earlier Saturday that Daly, 49, has been coping with a lingering rib injury dating to 2007. The injury recently was causing pain and affected his breathing.
Daly’s right hand was heavily taped Sunday. He said he hurt it while putting a new tire on his son’s golf cart earlier this week, which indirectly led to Saturday’s problems.
“I had to change my swing some to get a good grip and the doctor said the changed motion is likely what led to the collapsed lung,” Daly said.
Deerfield club pro Leigh Brannan said Daly was having trouble with the heat Saturday and had difficulty breathing before being taken to the hospital. Temperatures were near 90 degrees.
“It was just kind of a freak injury,” Daly said.
Daly’s hard-living ways have been well documented during a turbulent career on the PGA Tour. He recently threw his 6-iron into Lake Michigan during the PGA Championship after hitting three balls into the water.
MOTOR SPORTS
Dixon IndyCar champion
Scott Dixon captured a fourth IndyCar championship by winning the season finale Sunday to snatch the title from Juan Pablo Montoya in Sonoma, Calif. Montoya led the points from the season-opening race right until the final lap Sunday. But he finished the race in sixth, which allowed Dixon to tie him in the standings. Dixon was awarded the title based on victories; Sonoma Raceway was his third victory, while Montoya had only two. The New Zealand driver entered the race third in the standings, 47 points behind Montoya. The race was worth double points. The victory was the 100th for Chip Ganassi Racing, while a Team Penske driver failed to win a championship in the finale for the ninth time since 2002. Team Penske was in trouble from the midway point of the race when Montoya hit Will Power. It sent the Colombian to pit lane for repairs and he was mired in the middle of the pack for the bulk of the race. Although he picked off a few positions, his break came eight laps from the end when Sebastien Bourdais spun Graham Rahal. Needing to get to fifth to win the title, he moved up one spot to seventh when he passed Rahal.
• Erik Jones won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race Sunday at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park to take the series points lead The 19-year-old Jones beat Canadian road racer Alex Tagliani to the first turn off a restart with two laps left on the 2.459-mile road course and held off two-time defending series champion Matt Crafton by 1.665 seconds. Tagliani lost a gear and slipped to fifth. Jones raced to his second series victory of the year and fifth in 32 career starts. He also won at Iowa in June and has two Xfinity Series victories this year. Driving Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 4 Toyota, Jones took a three-point lead over Crafton. Tyler Reddick, the leader entering the race, dropped to third — 15 points back. He finished two laps down in 19th after running into the back of Gray Gaulding’s truck with 10 laps left. Ben Kennedy was third, followed by Daniel Hemric, Tagliani, Johnny Sauter, Cameron Hayley, Spencer Gallagher, John Hunter Nemechek and Cole Custer. Tagliani started from the pole in Brad Keselowski Racing’s No. 29 Ford. The Quebec driver was second two weeks ago in the Xfinity road race at Mid-Ohio. He won a Champ Car race at Road America in 2004. “It shredded completely,” Tagliani said about the broken gear.
HORSE RACING
Pharoah in good shape
American Pharoah looked to be in good shape the morning after his loss in the Travers Stakes, with no decision on whether the Triple Crown winner will race again. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert led the bay colt to fans outside the barn. They petted and fed the horse carrots and took pictures. American Pharoah spent Sunday at Saratoga before leaving early today for California. American Pharoah dueled with Frosted from the gate to the top of the stretch before being caught by late-running Keen Ice and finishing three-quarters of a length behind. The loss ended an eight-race winning streak that featured the sweep of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. Baffert says he would like to train American Pharoah up to the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 31 at Keeneland. It would be the colt’s final start before retiring to stud.
• Stellar Wind won the $100,000 Torrey Pines Stakes for 3-year-old fillies by 4 1/4 lengths Sunday at Del Mar. Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Stellar Wind ran a mile in 1:36.43 and paid $3, $2.20 and $2.10. Big Book returned $3.20 and $2.40, while Rattataptap was another 3 1/4 lengths back in third and paid $2.40 to show. Before his day job began, Espinoza rehearsed in the morning for his upcoming appearance on Dancing With the Stars. Stellar Wind is a daughter of Curlin, winner of the 2007 Preakness and Breeders’ Cup Classic. She’s trained by John Sadler. Since finishing fourth as the favorite in the Kentucky Oaks, Stellar Wind has rebounded to win the Summer Oaks at Santa Anita in June.
TENNIS
Sharapova pulls out of Open
Maria Sharapova pulled out of the U.S. Open for the second time in three years Sunday, withdrawing on the eve of the tournament because of a lingering right leg injury. The U.S. Tennis Association announced the withdrawal via a press release at about the same time that Sharapova, who won the title in New York in 2006, posted the news on her Facebook page. “Unfortunately I will not be able to compete in this [year’s U.S.] Open. I have done everything possible to be ready but it was just not enough time,” Sharapova’s message said. “To all my amazing fans, I will be back in the Asian swing in a few weeks and look forward to finishing the year healthy and strong.” In 2013, Sharapova skipped the U.S. Open because of a right shoulder injury. She also missed the Grand Slam tournament played on hard courts in Flushing Meadows in 2008, when she was off the tour for about 10 months because of surgery on her right shoulder. Sharapova has not played a match on tour since losing to No. 1-ranked Serena Williams in the Wimbledon semifinals in July. The 28-year-old Russian withdrew from hard-court tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati in August, citing a right leg strain. Sharapova is a five-time major champion who was going to be seeded No. 3 for the U.S. Open, where play begins today.
BASEBALL
Dolan wants investor
Cleveland Indians owner Paul Dolan is looking for a minority investment partner for his franchise. Dolan, who has had primary control of the Indians since 2013, hired a New York-based investment broker several months ago to help him find a minority owner for the ballclub, which has struggled to stay competitive in a sport without a salary cap in a city still recovering from job losses and a dwindling population. Dolan secured Allen & Co. to search for a minority owner, a team spokesman confirmed Sunday. The New York Post first reported the deal on Saturday. The Dolan family bought the Indians in 1999 from Richard Jacobs for $322 million. The Indians, who haven’t won the World Series since 1948, have had one of the lowest payrolls in the majors and attendance at Progressive Field has dropped dramatically in the past few seasons.