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Daly walks off course at Australian Open

SYDNEY (AP) — John Daly walked off the course at the Australian Open on Thursday after hitting seven balls into the water on the 11th hole at The Lakes.

Infuriated Australasian tour officials, calling Daly’s actions unprofessional, responded immediately by banning the controversial American from playing in the Australian PGA in two weeks.

It started on the short par-4 10th when Daly tried to drive the green. He thought his ball was in the front bunker, but after blasting out to about 4 feet, he realised he had hit a practice ball from the adjacent range. That’s when he was told his ball was in the back bunker, and with a penalty shot and a three-putt, he wound up with a triple bogey that left him 7 over for the round.

Daly was annoyed, then hit his second on the par-5 11th into the water. Then he hit another into the lake. And another. And another. The final tally was seven balls, and it might have been more except that he had none left in his bag.

Daly turned over his scorecard to Hunter Mahan and Craig Parry and walked off the course. Daly later said on Twitter, “when u run out of balls u run out of balls. yes, I shook my player’s partners hands & signed my card w/rules official.”

He would have been up to a total of 16 strokes on the 11th hole if he had continued.

 

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