I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king

I've been up and down and over and out and I know one thing

Each time I find myself flat on my face

I pick myself up and get back in the race

"That's Life" was a pretty good description of Sinatra, but it's an even better one of golfer John Daly.

Few people in any profession have had as many highs and lows as Daly. His recent success on the golf course shows every time you write him off, he will keep coming back.

He is a good role model for anyone running a business.

It's hard to call John Daly a role model. I've always had an affinity for him since have we both battled our weight and gone against conventional wisdom. However, I am not familiar with the other problems John has, like alcoholism, multiple marriages and gambling addictions.

His golfing career had gone completely down the drain. He lost almost all of his millions gambling, and his current wife (number four or five), had been arrested on drug and money laundering charges. Instead of the blue chip sponsors like Reebok, Wilson and Big Bertha, the current ads on his clothing were for a lumber company and a spa. Everyone had given up on John.

John never gave up on himself. He still has that strange and unusual swing. He makes aggressive plays when everyone else says he should not. When he gets the lead, he keeps it. He plays with inner strength and confidence.

Somehow he has put it back together. He has shown he can overcome his demons and can win again.

It is hard not to root for a guy like that. Also, he is a guy who gives inspiration when things are not right in your life.

Daly seems to have his worst times when he is on top. He completely captivated the sports world with his breakthrough win at the PGA in 1991. He came from nowhere, with his "Grip it and rip it" philosophy of life. Like the Rodney Dangerfield character in Caddyshack, he drove the button-down, country club type of golfers crazy. He attracted a lot of new fans to the sport.

Then it all started falling apart. His weight ballooned up and down. He went on a series of bizarre diets, with my favorite being an all-chocolate M&M's diet. He tore up hotel rooms, started fights on the golf course and checked into alcohol rehabilitation. A couple of times. He went through sponsors and money at a rapid clip.

He put it together again, his way, to win the 1995 British Open. I am sure that many stuffy British golf fans recoil in horror that Daly won at the hallowed St. Andrew's golf course with a strategy that went against all conventional wisdom. Once again after that win, John fell off the wagon.

With the emergence of long-hitting and more socially acceptable stars like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, the golfing world forgot about Daly. Just like Tonya Harding or Mike Tyson, Daly only made it into the spotlight when something else was going wrong in his life.

Now suddenly he is back. He still has a large group of fans like myself, who see his great potential and keep rooting for him to put it back together.

I'm not sure if I would want John Daly to live next door to me. I've had several hard-partying neighbors and never liked it much. I don't think the idea that one might hit a golf ball 350 yards would balance out listening to their stereos at 4 .a.m. or having them throw up all over my lawn. In his heyday, Daly always had a large entourage and they always seemed to be the definition of James Carville's term, "trailer park trash."

Daly has demons coming at him from every aspect of his life, but he can block it all out and play tremendous rounds of golf in a style that is uniquely his own. People who have ups and downs in business and life can learn a lesson from John Daly's persistence and self-belief.

I'll keep rooting for him, even if I won't try the all-chocolate M&M's diet.

Don McNay is president of McNay Settlement Group, whose golf team comes in last in every tournament they enter. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or www.mcnay.com.