Star sought as John Daly looks for a hero

Reuters

THE OSCAR'S IN THE BAG: John Daly nominated Matt Damon to take the lead role in a film of his life – while Madonna, he said, could play one of his ex-wives.

Relevant offers

Golf

New Zealand No 1 Lynette Brooky tees up Ko plays down NZ Women's Open favouritism NZ Women's Open field finalised in Christchurch Lydia Ko favourite for NZ Women's Open Riviera's lure guarantees top-class field Injured Cecilia Cho back on her golfing feet Danny Lee finishes brightly at Pebble Beach Mickelson charges to victory at Pebble Beach Lydia Ko blitzes amateurs at Australian Open Tiger on a Sunday ain't what he used to be

A couple of years ago, John Daly had three goals he wanted to achieve - to write a book, have a movie made of his turbulent life and to win a third major. Well, the book is out there, My Life In & Out Of The Rough - now what about that movie?

At Coolum yesterday, Daly let his mind wander about possible candidates to play the part of him and you'd need two of them, given his dramatic weight loss. One the big fat bloke, the other the new version who has presented himself to the Australian public this past week or so.

Russell Crowe just might have been able to double up in both roles. After all, he did fatten up for his role as Ed Hoffman, a corpulent CIA chief in the hunt for an Islamic terrorist cell, in the 2008 move Body of Lies and is also known to throw the odd tantrum and phone at hotel staff.

For Daly, he immediately thought of the guy who played Tommy in the 1995 movie Tommy Boy for the fat man. Chris Farley would have been perfect, too, a big man with blond hair, but the only trouble is, he's dead, dying at the age of 33 of a cardiac arrest in 1997 due to a drug overdose.

''Yes, the tough part is who to play me at 290 pounds [131.5 kilograms],'' Daly said. ''Now, Kevin James, now he's my bud so I hate to say he's a little big, but he'd be good. Yeah, he'd be a good one. He'd be fun to work with.''

Yes, get the peroxide bottle to his dark hair, and James would be the fit. He's played in the TV series The King of Queens and was the lead role in the movie Paul Blart - Mall Cop.

Matt Damon is his automatic choice for the slimline JD - ''I saw him in [The Legend of] Bagger Vance, how he swung a golf club, but I'd have to get him to take the club a little further back. But, he'd be perfect.''

The storyline of Bagger Vance is of a World War I veteran, a top amateur before heading to war, linking up with Bagger Vance (Damon) to play a match against the legendary Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. It's one of those feelgood golf movies.

From there, the casting becomes a little more difficult. What about his four ex-wives?

''The problem is who is going to play the ex-wives, I mean, I don't know there are too many actresses that could be that mean, so I don't know,'' Daly said. ''Maybe Madonna. She's played a few interesting roles both clothed and unclothed.

''The storyline would be just about life, it would be the whole thing. The guts of it all. It's something I'd like to see before I pass on. Too many movies are made after you've gone. The only reason I'd make the movie is I think it would help a lot of people. That's what life is about.''

St Andrews and the British Open next July is the perfect fit for a third major. He won the Open there in 1995, beating Costantino Rocca in a play-off and it suits his big-hitting game and soft hands around the greens.

''I have confidence on every hole … The redneck boy won there before so it would be pretty cool to go back and do it again,'' Daly said.

A movie aside, Daly's immediate focus is the A$1.5 million Australian PGA championship this week. Making the cut in Sydney last week, plus the manner in which his new-look body coped with 28 holes last Saturday, has him eager to play this week, unlike last year when the growing depression over missed cuts in Australia took its toll for three weeks.

Now, he is alert and active and he says: ''Just being lazy is no fun. It [had got to the stage] of lying on the couch and looking over and seeing something on the floor, and thinking, 'I'll get it later.' ''

No more later ons. The clock is also ticking on the resurrection of his golfing career.

- © Fairfax NZ News