Daly Surprising Co-Leader in Hawaii

Friday, January 19th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

HONOLULU (AP) â€” The outrageously long backswing and the brisk walk down the fairway puffing on a cigarette was vintage John Daly. Nothing else about him looked familiar in the first round of the Sony Open, least of all his score.

When his 6-foot birdie putt disappeared into the cup on his final hole Thursday, Daly had a 6-under 64 â€” his lowest score in three years â€” and a share of the lead for the first time since the 1997 PGA Championship.

``I'm a little shocked myself,'' Daly said.

He wasn't alone.

``Everything he does kind of surprises you,'' Brad Faxon said after an eagle on No. 18 put him in a tie for first with Daly and Larry Mize.

Daly has a history of springing surprises, whether it was winning the PGA Championship as an alternate in 1991, winning the British Open at St. Andrews in 1995 or some of his wild living that has made him a cult figure in golf.

The last time Daly had a 64 was in the final round of the Honda Classic in 1998, when he finished tied for fourth. He hasn't had a top-10 finish since.

There was reason to believe that might change this week at Waialae Country Club.

Daly said he can't remember the last time he had a drink. He has dropped 60 pounds from this time a year ago, cutting out the snacks and getting off medication such as lithium and Prozac that he took for three years.

``I was the rat for some doctor,'' he said.

He also put steel shafts back in his club and went back to an old putter with added weight in the toe of the club. But perhaps the biggest change is that he no longer just grips it and rips it.

``I play a lot more conservatively than I used to, and I think that's starting to pay off,'' Daly said. ``As a kid, all I even thought of doing was hitting driver on every hole but the par 3s â€” at times I did that, too. I taught myself to be as aggressive as I possibly can.

``It's taken me at least two or three years to learn.''

Hitting driver on only five holes and getting into serious trouble only once, Daly made seven birdies in his round of 64 on a windy day at Waialae, although 15 mph gusts are relatively calm for these parts.

Mize was one of the few who was not caught off guard by the sight of Daly's name atop the leader board. They played the final round together at the Tucson Open last week.

``I felt he was close to playing good,'' Mize said.

The former Masters champion wasn't too bad, either.

After a three-putt for bogey on the first hole, he chipped in for birdie, holed two 30-foot putts and also a 50-footer for birdie on the 16th.

``I wasn't expecting a 64 when I teed it up,'' Mize said. ``I scored better than I played.''

Richie Coughlan of Ireland had a 65, while 13 players were at 66. Among them were Tom Lehman, Gary Nicklaus, Carlos Franco and Jim Furyk, who won the Mercedes Championships last week on Maui.

Nicklaus, sporting a goatee and a refreshed game, had reason to celebrate. A year ago, he took a 12 on the par-5 ninth in the final round. On Thursday, he required eight fewer strokes, which made quite a difference.

Ernie Els, Masters champion Vijay Singh and Tucson Open winner Garrett Willis were among those at 68.

Defending champion Paul Azinger had a 72.

The Sony Open turned out to be a rebirth for Azinger last year, his first victory since he was diagnosed with lymphoma in 1993. Daly can't even imagine what it would mean to him if he could put together three more rounds like the one he had Thursday.

``It would probably be the biggest win in my life,'' Daly said.

Daly attributes his newfound sobriety and the trimmer look â€” although there's still a bulge over the belt â€” to his body telling him, ``Enough.''

``You body tells you things it doesn't want and it tells you things it does want,'' he said. ``I just don't drink because I feel like I don't want to or need to. Basically, I'm taking care of myself and listening to what my body needs, and not listening to what everybody puts in my ears. I feel healthy and I feel strong.''

And he still hits it long.

Daly needed only a 2-iron and a 4-iron to reach the green on the 551-yard 18th hole, which set up a two-putt birdie on the 18th. He reached the back fringe on his closing hole, the 510-yard ninth, with a 6-iron for another birdie.

Through all his turmoil, there is part of Daly that believes he still has more thrills to give a gallery that can never get enough.

``That's what keeps me motivated,'' he said. ``I'm still a long way from where Tiger Woods, David Duval and Ernie Els are. But a long way in this game can be short. All it takes is 72 holes to get the confidence back that I had in the '90s.''

He only got 18 holes in Thursday, but it was a good start.