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Is Robert Garrigus The Real John Daly

JB

JB

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People seem to call John Daly the common man, yet in reality there is nothing common about him. We all love stories of triumph, redemption and second chances, but do 2nd chances really mean getting 9 shots at the same thing?

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http://thehackersparadise.com/home/?p=11926
 
pretty interesting perspective. i suppose you are right though, there are a lot of similarities. hopefull garrigus can snag up a major as well. his attitude is very refreshing and i get the sense that he is genuinely appreciative of where he is. i agree, the guy's scary and could be a serious threat in 2011.
 
A better dressed Daly that isn't a stick in the mud like most tour players. I like the guy and hope he has a great 2011 season.
 
This guy impressed me at the start of his 3rd round last week.

Taking a one shot lead, he doubles the first hole, bogeys the next. That can't have you feeling too good on the walk to the 3rd tee, can it? So what does he do? He takes the time to thank the volunteers around the green and tee area for taking the time to come out and help.
Class.
 
johndeere10 said:
A better dressed Daly that isn't a stick in the mud like most tour players. I like the guy and hope he has a great 2011 season.
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and his grill may be more attractive that louis' and lee's!
 
Thankfully we don't have to worry about the mullet making a comeback on tour either.... well I hope not!!
 
I said this in the comments but...

I think the better comparison (cross-sport) would be to Josh Hamilton. Tons of Talent. Personal Demons. Straightened life. Fan Favorite. Stand up guy. JD had all of the components but let his ego (and his addictions) continue to destroy his reputation. Personally I wish far more of Josh Hamilton on RG than I wish JD on RG.
 
I hope he does well this year. As for Daly, I am way tired of him and to me he has become more of a side show than anythng else. We all ovoe a good comeback, and I think people have fully supported him. I think he is now getting tothe point now of where his repeated exemptions are hurting him.
 
RxGus said:
I said this in the comments but...

I think the better comparison (cross-sport) would be to Josh Hamilton. Tons of Talent. Personal Demons. Straightened life. Fan Favorite. Stand up guy. JD had all of the components but let his ego (and his addictions) continue to destroy his reputation. Personally I wish far more of Josh Hamilton on RG than I wish JD on RG.
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Well said but I'm from Texas so what do I know ;)

look i can post like tc from tapatalk
 
I walked with Robert Garrigus at the Barclay's last year during the Friday morning round and there wasn't a tee box he didn't say hi and thank you to all the volunteers at, an official or volunteer in the fairway he didn't chat with and a fan he didn't smile at. I couldn't be happier for him and the start of the 2011 season. He is taking full advantage of his 2nd chance unlike Daly, who has squandered his multiple chances.
 
MaryC said:
I walked with Robert Garrigus at the Barclay's last year during the Friday morning round and there wasn't a tee box he didn't say hi and thank you to all the volunteers at, an official or volunteer in the fairway he didn't chat with and a fan he didn't smile at. I couldn't be happier for him and the start of the 2011 season. He is taking full advantage of his 2nd chance unlike Daly, who has squandered his multiple chances.
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This is why I'm rooting for him. I nice guy who genuinely wants to be there. He'll win again, you can count on that.
 
The first time I actually got to watch Garrigus was at Memphis where he imploded. The way he handled himself afterwards was refreshing and impressive to me and it was great to see him win at the end of 2010. I guess you never know for sure what someone is made of by only watching them on television but based on what I have seen, Garrigus is genuine and the real deal. And who doesn’t love a come back story? It’s the American dream really, you can screw up, put your life back in order and become successful. Not possible in so many other places.

Regarding Daly, I am on record on this board as being a fan and am truly a believer in redemption but he has squandered so many opportunities that it has simply left me scratching my head.
 
There may be some surface similarities but IMHO JD's problems run much deeper.
 
I think Garrigus has all his ducks in a row. The dude looks like he is having a freaking great time enjoying life and he gives more than he receives which speaks volumes. I am pulling for him to have a stellar year and have a top five in one of the Majors!
 
A great article on Garrigus from Sympatico.ca Sports:

From shovelling manure to raking in cash, golfer Garrigus travels a long course

HONOLULU, Hawaii - The day after missing a three-foot putt to lose in a playoff, Robert Garrigus couldn't eat.

His mind was a mess, his nerves still jangled. He tried to explain his feelings to his family, but the words sounded hollow and he felt no one could truly understand except him. You see, Garrigus grew up in Oregon, and he couldn't stop thinking about the BCS Championship game that night, which his beloved Ducks wound up losing.

As for the golf?

This is a guy who once feared drugs and drinking might ruin his career, if not his life. He spent 30 days in rehab, where his chores included shovelling horse manure into a wheelbarrow, pushing it up a hill to unload it, and going back down for more. Until last week at Kapalua, the only tournament he ever played without a cut was Q-school.

Yes, it was disappointing to lose that way, but only for a minute.

Devastating? Please.

"Life is too good to complain," Garrigus said.

It's not an act. Considering where his life has taken him, it can't be. If people are just now discovering the honest and refreshing outlook of Garrigus, there's a reason for that. Until last year, he had not done anything to make many people pay attention to him, except that he hits the ball a mile and uses a 28-inch putter that barely reaches his knees.

"I've always had that attitude," he said. "I've lost 133 golf tournaments, and no one really asked me about until Memphis."

It was at the St. Jude Classic where Garrigus first got noticed, and it was forgettable by most standards. Standing on the 18th tee with a three-shot lead, he hit into the water and into the trees and took a triple bogey, then lost in a playoff to Lee Westwood.

He blamed it on stupidity, shrugged and said he would do better the next time. And he did, coming from five shots behind in the final round of the final tournament of the year to win at Disney.

And despite his playoff loss to Jonathan Byrd in the Tournament of Champions, the 33-year-old believes he's in for a big year.

He'll understand if no one believes him, considering that until last year, Garrigus had kept his card only once by finishing 74th on the money list in 2007. But he reached a point where he thought he should be better than a fringe player, and he set out to prove it.

Garrigus has led the PGA Tour in driving distance the last two years, but his attention shifted to the short game. He spent hours at home working on his wedges, which helped him to win at Disney and gave him a shot at Kapalua.

He should have had the advantage with his length, but he hit a poor chip from the front of the par-5 18th green and had to settle for par. The next hole was No. 1, which had haunted Garrigus all week. He made double bogey Saturday, and a bogey in the final round. Despite having a nine-iron to the green - Byrd was hitting three-iron - he came up 40 feet short, and three-putted for yet another bogey.

He lost.

And then he smiled.

"A great display of sportsmanship," Byrd said. "He's smiling in the playoff, he was probably smiling when he doubled the first hole yesterday and he was smiling after he missed that putt. My hat's off to him."

Garrigus hasn't always been that way.

A top junior player in Oregon, scholarship offers were limited because of his poor grades. With his mother working two jobs, Garrigus went to Arizona to work at a country club and save money to attend Scottsdale Community College. After two years, UNLV offered him a partial scholarship. Garrigus didn't think Las Vegas and college was a good fit for him, so he turned pro at 19 and hit the mini-tours.

By then, parties were a big part of his lifestyle. Too much drinking, too much pot.

He checked himself into a 30-day program at Calvary Ranch in 2003, a faith-based recovery program near San Diego. He opened the Bible, attended church three times a week and stayed busy in ways he would not have imagined.

He hauled manure. He dug firewalls. One of his jobs was rake the gravel driveway after every car came through to keep it orderly. He showed up weighing 150 pounds and gained 25 pounds of muscle in a month.

"It was humbling," Garrigus said. "But it's everything I am today. I spent 30 days to change the rest of my life. It was the hardest 30 days of my life, but after that, it's been a breeze to stay sober. The things I get to do for a living? Rarely will you hear me complain about anything on tour. It's nothing compared to what it was before."

Garrigus met his wife, Ami, shortly after getting out of rehab. They were on a blind date with a friend of his from Calvary Ranch, who already was drinking again. Garrigus asked her if they could meet again in better circumstances. They were engaged in four months, married a year later.

The honeymoon was in Maui, of all places. Garrigus recalls going over to the Plantation Course at Kapalua to play golf. Asked what he did on the first hole, he remembers making a birdie.

Going back to Kapalua as a PGA Tour winner, it's easy to see why a bogey didn't bother him so much.
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I agree with the article. One thing though... He doesn't have a name that is easily marketable. I am not suggesting that he change his name or anything of the sort, but 'Robert Garrigus' just doesn't roll of the tongue, seem all the catchy or unique and endearing (e.g., John Daly, Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell). In my opinion, if Robert Garrigus is going to "move the needle" for the casual fan, then he needs a good nickname that will be commonly used to refer to him. And, no, I am not talking about 'SwampA$$'.

In Chicago, political races are often won or lost based upon a last name. It is just the way it is.
 
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+1

Name and looks have a huge affect on public perception.
 
interlooper said:
I agree with the article. One thing though... He doesn't have a name that is easily marketable. I am not suggesting that he change his name or anything of the sort, but 'Robert Garrigus' just doesn't roll of the tongue, seem all the catchy or is both unique and endearing (e.g., John Daly, Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell). In my opinion, if Robert Garrigus is going to "move the needle" for the casual fan, then he needs a good nickname that will be commonly used to refer to him. And, no, I am not talking about 'SwampA$$'.

In Chicago, political races are often won or lost based upon a last name. It is just the way it is.
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Hawk said:
+1

Name and looks have a huge affect on public perception.
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Agreed, but win enough tournaments, and they win come. So I guess it becomes a matter of whether he can keep the momentum going or not. I hope he can, he's one of my new favorites on Tour.
 
Ole Gray said:
I think Garrigus has all his ducks in a row. The dude looks like he is having a freaking great time enjoying life and he gives more than he receives which speaks volumes. I am pulling for him to have a stellar year and have a top five in one of the Majors!
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Well said, and I agree. He's humble, gracious and seems to genuinely realize how lucky he is to have a second chance. It sounds like he defeated his demons much quicker and more permanently than JD has been able to.
 
TGC just did a special on him and it talks a lot about what we have here.
 
Didn't he just smoke a bunch of pot?

tapatalk: even available for lefties!
 
as the others have said I think he knows what to do now that he has a second chance and is very grateful to take that chance and run with it. I hope he does good as he is fun to watch.
 
TC said:
Didn't he just smoke a bunch of pot?

tapatalk: even available for lefties!
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He said he would do any drugs he could get his hands on or was put in front of him. He said he played golf high or drunk for most of his early years.
 
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