Not as 'long,' Daly remains an attraction

He may not be as long off the tee as he once was, courtesy of a recent rib injury that has shortened his back swing, but to his legion of loyal fans, John Daly is as big as ever - whether he's playing well or not.

Daly-maniacs and anyone else interested can get their chance to see the former PGA and British Open champion in person on Saturday, March 1, as part of the 25th anniversary celebration of the Chicago Golf Show at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.

Daly, who has struggled both on and off the course in recent years, hopes things will straighten out this year thanks to the no-nonsense approach of his new swing coach, Butch Harmon.

"He's been great; I like honesty," Daly said of Harmon. "He's been hard on me, which I needed, and he likes my work ethic. People don't think I would practice that much, but when I'm at home or with him, I work really hard."

So far, the results haven't been off the charts for Daly. In five tournaments, he missed the cut twice, withdrew once and finished 69th and 75th, earning just over $21,000.

It's hasn't helped that he's had to reduce his legendary long back swing while his rib injury persists.

"We had to shorten my swing because the rib just hasn't gotten any better," Daly said. "So it's going to take some time to get used to.

"I'm not losing a ton of distance. I feel like once I get used to it and get some power back, I should get all my distance back; it's just going to take a while."

The Chicago Golf Show (chicagogolfshow.com) runs Feb. 29 through March 2.