Stanford St Jude Championship round two: How Daly made the cut and missed it on the same day

I’ve always been a huge advocate of keeping family away from the office. But never because I saw it as essential to staying alive. Who else but John Daly could steal a tournament’s headlines with a claim that his fourth wife came at him with a steak knife in his sleep?

I know we’re not supposed to laugh, but this is John Daly we’re talking here, the golfer whose life seems to veer from the ridiculous to the totally absurd. “I think people can relate to some of the things that have gone on in my life,” he declared. I don’t think so John.

The only other thing that strikes me is that he says he was attacked in his sleep, yet ends up just with some marks on his cheek. So is he saying his wife No 4 is a worse shot than he is? He was, after all, lucky to make the cut Friday.

Meanwhile, back at the golf course Adam Scott can allow himself some smug satisfaction at his position. True, the elements have been a little unfair to him, ensuring he finished his round with the course playing hard to get, before dumping rain that softened it up and made life easier for his pursuers.

Although Andrew Buckle might overtake him when he resumes his second round Saturday morning, I don’t think Scott need be too afraid of Buckle or Brian Gay as his nearest challengers. After that it’s a very handy four-stroke half-way cushion to Fredrik Jacobson and at least five to the rest. It’s not often we’ve seen someone in such a dominant position after two rounds this season.

Scott also has the advantage that he doesn’t have to get up at sparrowfart to complete his second round like Buckle. Mind you, if Adam did happen to falter, there’s always David Toms hovering in the wings and beginning to pick up a head of steam. And, of course, there’s Jose Maria Olazabal redeeming his poor opening round with a five under and one hole to go.

From here on it looks like almost dream conditions with no rain and little wind to complicate matters. Expect a few more birdies. The real question will be how quickly the course dries out, particularly the greens.

My comments Friday seem to have been the kiss of death for Retief Goosen, but then I did warn him about his putting. On a steak-knife scale of accuracy he’d classify as rare to medium rare at best.