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Spencer Robinson

BY walking out on the Kapalua International tournament in Hawaii late last year, John Daly walked into a fierce barrage of justified criticism that has led to him being banned indefinitely from the US PGA Tour.

 It was not the first time his impetuosity had landed him in hot water, or that he crossed swords with Deane Beman, the all-powerful commissioner of the US Tour.

 Since springing to prominence with his astonishing victory in the 1991 US PGA Championship, Daly has repeatedly courted controversy, on and off the golf course.

 His bold ''grip it and rip it'' style endeared him to galleries around the world. In a sport still perceived by many as an elitist pastime, Daly's emergence was a breath of fresh air.

 It did not take long for the Daly legend to grow. His devil-may-care attitude quickly turned him into a cult figure.

 At the same time, sordid stories of his off-course antics and escapades - mostly alcohol related - appeared almost daily in tabloids around the globe.

 The question that began to be asked was whether Daly was doing more bad for golf than good.

 Despite the fact that he is ranked no higher than 96th in the world, Daly remains, without question, the biggest drawcard in golf.

 But given his wildly unpredictable moods, Daly has, in the eyes of many, become a liability.

 It would be churlish to suggest that a golfer can guarantee he will survive a half-way cut or be in contention to win a tournament. What he can promise, though, is that he will be courteous, he will try his best . . . and will not embarrass the sponsor by walking out on the tournament.

 Hong Kong stalwart Yau Sui-ming would never claim to possess the talent of John Daly. Yet Yau's behaviour and demeanour in a professional golfing career spanning almost 15 years has been exemplary.

 Judged on results, Yau is the best player that Hong Kong has ever produced. He has also been a tremendous ambassador for the territory in the international arena, both as an individual and as an inspirational leader of national teams.

 All the more astonishing, therefore, that Yau should have mysteriously walked out on last week's Hong Kong Professional Golfers' Association Golden Harvest Invitational tournament.

 Yau's decision to withdraw after the first round of the showpiece event on the domestic golfing calendar is perplexing in the extreme.

 At the age of 38, Yau is now one of the elder statesmen of the Hong Kong PGA. He may not be the formidable force that he once was as a player, but he has a responsibility to act in a manner befitting a man whose efforts have done much to help the promotion and development of the game among local Chinese.

  In walking out, Yau has not only let himself down, but has set a poor example to his fellow members of the PGA and been discourteous to the sponsor.

  If there is a genuine reason why Yau pulled out, he must make it known to the PGA. Otherwise, he will stand accused of biting the hand that has fed him and will leave the PGA with no choice but to go through with its threat of taking disciplinary action against him.

  Spencer Robinson is Managing Editor of Asian Golfer 



Daly deserves indefinite ban, role model Yau must take note