Big-hitting John Daly said a sober lifestyle has left him unable to cope with the pressure of tournament golf after wrapping up his Perrier Hong Kong Open with an even-par 71 to finish in joint 19th position. An air of gloom surrounded Daly as he trudged from the course yesterday, and he later admitted that he had choked midway through his round, when his score leapt to seven-under putting him into contention for the lead. 'I hit the ball better than ever this week. I can't handle the pressure any more . . . when I got to six or seven under I was thinking about winning. I just started gagging,' a disconsolate Daly said. 'When I got it going I couldn't keep it going. It's sad. I just don't have it . . . there's not really too much encouragement when you're hitting it well and not scoring. It hurts more than it helps,' he added. 'The talent can't stay hidden for ever, but it's a tough battle. Everyone says it's going to get easier, but it has not so far.' Daly blamed his short game for letting him down, and said it was at its lowest point in his career. 'My short game was awful. The worst it's ever been. I had plenty of chances but every time I had a chance to go low I couldn't handle it,' added Daly, whose dejection was made more acute by his fondness for the Hong Kong Golf Club course. 'The golf course is great for my game. The fairways are easy to hit and I was never really out of play. If ever I was going to win a tournament outside of the US this year then this was going to be it,' he said.
