What the papers said about . . . John Daly

"Booze a clever boy." Mirror

"Sober far so good." Sun

"Daly brought the American midwest to St Andrews and sent a gale through golf every bit as strong as the 52mph winds which buffeted St Andrews. We cannot know, yet, what members of the Royal and Ancient made of Daly as he marched into golf's oldest citadel, with his long blond hair and sweatshirt. But no man ever took a bigger step." Telegraph

"Home and dry." Today

"One fervently hopes that his excesses off the golf course have ended at the same time that he has become the people's champion on it." Times

"Escape from Hell. Daly sees off his demons to join the elite." Express

"Stone cold Daly." Mail

"How, then, did he celebrate his biggest win, the one he can remember? He ate two New York Strip steaks in his hotel and then a huge bowl of chocolate ice cream. 'That,' he said with a grimace, 'kept me on the john for most of the night.' " Guardian

"Not a drop of claret in sight. Not so long ago, the Royal and Ancient would have viewed with trepidation the prospect of the old silver jug falling into Daly's hands. Before and after his breakthrough at Crooked Stick, he was heading for the Hall of Infamy as an All-American drinker and hell-raiser." Independent

"Inside John Daly there was a calmness. The calm that comes to a man when he has looked the devil in the eye and walked away still in one piece." Star

"John Daly became the first Open winner to wake up the morning after the night before without a giant hangover. The fact that he is still around to wake up at all is even more remarkable. By all rights, golf's greatest hell-raiser should be in an Arkansas grave by now, not cradling the sport's most famous trophy in his Popeye arms." Sun

"Wild thing - you made our hearts sing." Mirror