GOLF SKINS GAME : Merely Playing Alongside His Hero Is Kick for This First-Timer

LA QUINTA â€”  All the television crew asked of John Daly was that he try to hit a golf ball out of Anaheim Stadium before the Ram-49er game Monday night. ABC would tape it, show it during “Monday Night Footballâ€� and use it to promote the network’s coverage of the $540,000 Skins Game, which begins here today.

One made-for-television event promoting another.

So Daly arrived at Anaheim about 4 p.m. Monday, teed his ball up in the corner of the stadium in front of the Rams’ tunnel and, worried about hitting cars or people in the parking lot, took a half-swing. The ball sailed across the field, over the halftime entertainers who were rehearsing, and landed in the left corner of the end zone, just missing the glassed-in suites.

Figuring that ABC had a good insurance policy, Daly decided not to worry about hitting anything but the ball. He took his now-trademark, near-360-degree backswing and let it rip. The ball was still rising as it left Anaheim Stadium, heading toward the 57 Freeway. But the cameras filming the event lost track of the ball. So all ABC showed on its telecast was an exhibition of Daly kicking a field goal, barefoot and straight on, about 44 yards.

“I could kick about 50 yards if I got the right shoe,� Daly said.

Then it was back to golf and the Stadium Course at PGA West, where Daly will compete in the Skins Game this weekend against Jack Nicklaus, Curtis Strange and Payne Stewart.

Friday, by his shoes alone, it was easy to distinguish Daly from the rest of his new peer group. Seated at a news conference next to his idol, Nicklaus, Daly’s sponsor-laden tennis shoes stood out among the leather loafers worn by his counterparts.

Since he won the PGA Championship last August, nearly everyone wants a piece of Daly, of Dardanelle, Ark. All Daly, 25, wanted to accomplish in 1991 was to avoid qualifying school. Instead, he got a 10-year exemption from qualifying after his first tournament victory and earned $574,783 in his first year on the PGA Tour.

Daly’s excitement about playing in the Skins Game seems to be less about the money and more about playing against Nicklaus head-to-head for the first time. However, on the practice range Friday, Nicklaus suffered back pain, withdrew from the pro-amateur portion and left the course to get treatment. Nicklaus said he expects to play today.

“Watching Jack play golf on television is what inspired me to play,� Daly said.

But who inspired his backswing? “When I started playing, when I was 4 or 5, I used a set of range clubs, and they were so heavy, that is how the swing developed,� Daly said.

Since August, Daly has taken only two weeks off. He can remember doing only two interviews before his PGA victory. Friday, he was still giving interviews while the veterans were long gone to the practice range.

He said he enjoys the attention, adding: “It’s different. Hopefully, I will get used to it and stay used to it.�

The Stadium Course is long and difficult, with “too much water,� Daly said. But the course is made for his type of play. He leads the tour in driving average at 289.9 yards, followed by Greg Norman at 283.6 and Fred Couples at 280.6. In the PGA Championship, Daly averaged drives of 303 yards.

Strange repeated as Skins champion last year with the help of a shot that he hit while standing on rocks in his bare feet. Strange hit a wedge from 125 yards within six feet on No. 10, the first playoff hole, to extend the playoff. Three holes later, he beat Nick Faldo to win $70,000, and $220,000 for the weekend.

This year, however, Strange has been fighting an illness that leaves him tired and disoriented. He doesn’t get dizzy, merely off balance. He has been seeing doctors for four months, but the condition has remained undiagnosed.

“It was not good for a while there,� Strange said. “It was tough to compete and play golf, but I could do most anything else I wanted to do. As for the hand-eye coordination you need to play this game, it was difficult to play golf. So after the PGA, I just went home and didn’t play anymore.

“The (disorientation) is pretty much gone right now, so that is why I’m here, and I played last week. When I left the PGA, I said I am not going to play anymore until it gets better, and it is getting better, so hopefully it’s on its way out.�

Skins Game Notes

The foursome will play nine holes today and nine Sunday. The first six holes are worth $20,000 each; Nos. 7-12 are $30,000 each and Nos. 13-18 are $30,000 each. A player has to win a hole outright or the money carries over to the next hole until a hole is won. . . . The Skins Game will be shown delayed on ABC today at 12:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3:30 p.m. . . . This is the ninth Skins Game. Jack Nicklaus has competed in all nine, winning $650,000; second on the list to Fuzzy Zoeller, who won $695,000. Curtis Strange, who has played in three, has won $485,000. This is Payne Stewart’s first Skins appearance.