John Daly Returns to Europe

Just days after his bus accident in Alabama, John Daly will play in the first round of the BMW International Open in Germany. In 2001, Daly won the tournament by one shot over Padraig Harrington for his first tournament victory since the 1995 British Open while shooting 27-under-par during the week. The 2001 BMW International Open still remains one of Daly's greatest performances and will continue to be a sentimental favorite for "The Lion."

In order to anticipate Daly's next appearance on the European Tour, let's take a look at his finishes so far this season, including his play at the 2009 St. Jude Classic on the PGA TOUR.

Open de Espana

April 30-May 3

T-31st, -3

While playing in his first tournament since December, Daly not only made the cut, but also made a fashion statement in the meantime as he sported "Loudmouth" pants. Along with showing off his outrageous pants, Daly also told the public that he had lap-band surgery and had lost over 40 pounds. With a new hairstyle, an endorsement deal with Loudmouth, and considerable weight loss, it seemed that Daly was ready to once again impact the world of golf.

BMW Italian Open

May 7-10

T-2nd, -11

It seems that John must either love BMWs or at least tournaments sponsored by the company. In just his second tournament in 2009, Daly obtained his first second-place showing since the 2005 WGC-American Express Championship.

The 3 Irish Open

May 14-17

MC

Unfortunately, John's second-place finish in Italy did not lead to continued stong playing as he missed his first cut of the season while playing in brutal weather conditions. However, unlike the Daly of old, "The Wild Thing" maintained his composure despite the missed cut and continued to look forward to the rest of his season.

BMW PGA Championship

May 21-24

T-72, +8

While playing in one of the European Tour's finest events, Daly made his third cut in four starts. While his weekend play was not what he had hoped for, it seemed that Daly was finally prepared for his first consistent season since 2005.

The European Open

May 28-31

MC

Even though Daly missed his second cut of the season, he had many positives from his first five Tour starts to reflect upon - his first second-place showing in four years, as well as significant weight loss that has led to a better life outlook than he has had in years.

St. Jude Classic

June 11-14

T-59, +1

During his first PGA TOUR start in '09, Daly played consistent golf in front of his hometown fans. While he did not contend in the tournament, he did make his first cut of the 2009 PGA TOUR season. Expect even stronger PGA TOUR finishes from Daly as the season continues. In 1994 Daly had a suspension much like the one he had this season. During the second month of his season, he won the Bellsouth Classic in Atlanta for his third TOUR victory.

While Daly's fans are eagerly anticipating his showing during this week's BMW International Open, let's look at John's upcoming schedule for the month of July.

Open de France ALSTOM

July 2-5

Daly will be searching for another European Tour victory as our nation celebrates the Fourth of July holiday.

The Barclays Scottish Open

July 9-12

A regular competitor in the Scottish Open, Daly will be hoping to obtain his first victory in Scotland since his victory in the 1995 British Open at St. Andrews.

The 138th Open Championship

Turnberry, Scotland

July 16-19

As past Open champion, Daly will look to join a small number of golfers who have had their names etched into the historic claret jug on multiple occasions.

RBC Canadian Open

July 23-26

In his second PGA TOUR appearance in '09, Daly will be searching for his first victory in Canada since the 2007 TELUS Skins Game.

Buick Open

July 30-August 2

Once again John has received a sponsor's exemption into one of his favorite tournaments, the Buick Open held in Grand Blanc, Michigan. John will look to improve upon his best finish in the tournament (2nd, 2004) as he plays in front of some of the most enthusiatic fans in golf.

The month of July appears to be a promising one for Daly as he works towards his first professional tournament victory since the 2004 Buick Invitational.

2009 United States Open - David Duval Resurgence

While it is certainly interesting to see rising stardom from players such as Lucas Glover and Ricky Barnes, who currently hold a share of the lead heading into tomorrow's final round, the most compelling story of this year's National Open is, without a doubt, David Duval.

As the 882nd ranked golfer in the world, Duval was one of the last players that anyone would expect to be near the top of the leaderboard, let alone making the cut. However, Duval has once again defied the odds. Just when it appeared that Duval's career may be over, he has found his way to the leaderboard of one of the most prestigous events in golf. While Duval's plummet from being the number one ranked golfer in the world and the 2001 British Open champion to his current world ranking over the past eight years has been mysterious, a win this week would be even more astoninishing.

Not only has Duval not seriously contended for a tournament in almost a decade, he also had to survive sectional qualifying in Ohio a few days prior to the start of the U.S. Open. The last time a U.S. Open champion was a sectional qualifier? 1996 at Oakland Hills. Steve Jones defeated Tom Lehman and Davis Love III for his first and only major championship.

Where would a David Duval victory stand amongst the most surprising U.S. Open victories of all time? Here is my list of the Top Five Most Shocking U.S. Open Champions During the Past Century:

1.) Francis Ouimet (1913) - Perhaps one of the greatest underdog stories in sports history, 20-year-old amateur Ouimet defeated two of the greatest golfers in the world at the time, two-time major champion Ted Ray and seven-time major champion Harry Vardon, in an 18-hole playoff at The Country Club in Brookline, MA. A former caddy at Brookline, Ouimet became the first amateur to win the U.S. Open.

2.) Jack Fleck (1955) - As a former assistant golf professional, Jack Fleck admired four-time U.S. Open champion Ben Hogan more than any other golfer. He also defeated him in an 18-hole playoff for his first PGA TOUR win. Fleck's victory remains one of the most talked about upsets in golf history.

3.) Orville Moody (1969) - As a former Army sergeant, "Sarge" had never won a PGA TOUR tournament when he first set foot at Champions Golf Club in Houston, TX in 1969. However, he saved his first TOUR win for the biggest tournament in professional golf and then never won again on the TOUR afterwards.

4.) Steve Jones (1996) - As stated earlier, Jones is the last sectional qualifier to have won the U.S. Open. While Jones had captured four TOUR wins prior to his U.S. Open victory, he had not won since 1989 and missed a couple of seasons due to an injury to his left ring finger. To make his victory even more impressive, he not only defeated two of the top-ranked golfers in the world at the time in Lehman and Love, but he also persevered on the brutal layout of Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, MI.

5.) Andy North (1978) - North is known as, perhaps, the least likely two-time U.S. Open champion of all time. When he defeated J.C. Snead and Dave Stockton for his first U.S. Open win in 1978, he only had one prior PGA TOUR victory to his name. North would then only capture one more PGA TOUR victory, the 1985 U.S. Open. Hence, North had three PGA TOUR victories in his career, including two U.S. Opens.

Of course, a victory for Duval tomorrow would be one of the most shocking in U.S. Open history, considering his play during the past eight seasons, as he has not won a professional tournament since the 2001 Dunlop Phoenix in Japan. Without a doubt, a U.S. Open victory for Duval would be one of the greatest stories of perseverance in all of sports history.

To conclude, here is a listing of Duval's finishes in the U.S. Open since his appearance as an amateur in 1990:

1990 - T56
1991 - DNP
1992 - CUT
1993 - DNP
1994 - DNP
1995 - T28
1996 - T67
1997 - T48
1998 - T7
1999 - T7
2000 - T8
2001 - T16
2002 - CUT
2003 - CUT
2004 - CUT
2005 - CUT
2006 - T16
2007 - DNP
2008 - DNP

Happy Father's Day to all! Hope you all enjoy tomorrow's telecast via internet/television of what may become one of the most historic U.S. Opens of all time.