Daly Recovers Quicker than Expected from Rib Injury

John Daly will make his return to the PGA Tour in two weeks following stem-cell surgery that helped the two-time major champion recover from a rib injury ahead of schedule.

The 43-year-old will play in the Viking Classic at Annandale Golf Club in Madison, Miss., October 29-November 1 before heading to Australia for its Open and PGA Championship in December.

In September, Daly announced he was withdrawing from the Australian events after a flare-up of the rib injury sustained when he stopped his downswing as a woman took his photograph at the 2007 Honda Classic.

"My recovery from stem-cell surgery has been closely monitored by my doctor and I have been cleared to begin playing competitively in two weeks," Daly said in a statement issued through the Australasian PGA. "As such, I have added the Viking Classic to my 2009 U.S. schedule plus have accepted invitations to play in the 2009 Australian Open and 2009 Australian PGA Championship.

"I regret the confusion the injury process has caused but I'm relieved things have begun moving in the right direction," he said. "I look forward to returning to Australia and am grateful the Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship have provided me with the opportunity to play in these premier events."

It will be the second straight year that Daly, who won the 1991 PGA Championship and 1995 British Open, has competed in Australia's Open and PGA Championship.

In last year's Australian Open, Daly was playing with Australian Robert Allenby when he smashed spectator Brad Clegg's camera against a tree, a move that generated widespread criticism. After the incident, Allenby defended Daly. On October 13, Daly returned the favor, forgiving Allenby for dragging his name through the mud after the Presidents Cup.

Allenby described Anthony Kim as ''the new Daly'' after being thumped 5 and 3 by the American in a singles defeat as the International team lost to the Americans. Allenby described Kim as ''sideways'' after it was reported the young American returned to his hotel at 4 a.m. the morning before their lopsided singles, remarks that were taken to be uncomplimentary towards Daly.

But Daly declined to retaliate against Allenby. "I heard a little bit about that," Daly said. "If he's calling Anthony Kim a Daly, at least - who won that match? I think that's all that matters. And who won it all? The U.S.? I'm not gonna bust Robert that bad. A lot of players have said things in the heat of the moment."

Of his stem-cell treatment, Daly told www.golfchannel.com, "It's pretty simple. It's your own blood really healing your body. What they do is take 50ccs of your blood, put it in a tube and spin it for 11 minutes. It gets rid of all the red cells. What's left is just a little bit of white cells, probably just 10 to 20ccs. Those red cells just disappear for some reason. It's really weird. Then they put calcium in the tube where the white cells are, they spin it again for nine minutes. They take these needles and inject me in three different spots where the cartilage is torn. These white cells just attack where the pain is and it makes the process heal a little quicker."

Along with his recovery, Daly accepted a sponsor's invite to the Viking Classic. A reality TV show will feature him next year under the working title of "The Comeback."

Daly's Australia tournaments should generate a lot of press both Down Under and abroad. Greg Norman, the captain of the 2009 International team in the Presidents Cup, and defending champion Tim Clark, a member of the International squad, will be paired with Daly in the Australia Open at the NSW Golf Club at La Perouse December 3-6.

A week later, Daly will be grouped with Vijay Singh and defending champion Geoff Ogilvy for the Australian PGA Championship at Hyatt Regency Coolum.

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