John Daly still the greatest sideshow at the Scottish Open

The chances of John Daly winning this week's Scottish Open are about as good as LeBron James pulling out of his verbal commitment to the Miami Heat and signing with the New York Knicks, but that hasn't stopped the former British Open champion from making his mark prior to his return to St. Andrews next week, the very same course where he hoisted the Claret Jug in 1995. 

"I'm close. I feel I'm just starting to slowly get some confidence, which is good," Daly said after Saturday's third round. "You know, when you can play four days each week like I have been for the last few weeks, you just build on it, no matter what you shoot, you're just building on something and I'm starting to hit my long irons better and the wedges are still a little rough but I'm getting better around the greens with them."

While Daly's finishes on the PGA Tour haven't been spectacular, the consistency and his ability to just make the cut proves how much he's worked on turning his game around from a couple of years ago, when his game and his health were in disarray.

His 2-under 69 on Saturday put him at T-9 for the tournament, but still 11 shots back of Edoardo Molinari. Even still, it's good to see Daly somewhat in contention for a top five finish at a big international event. While I'd never put Daly's name at the top of the potential winner list for the British Open, the fact that he's playing well at the moment, coupled with his knowledge and success at St. Andrews, would lead some to believe he could end up contending for a top-25 finish. 

Molnari and Darren Clarke may be the head-to-head attraction in today's final round, but Daly should be a player to watch as well, if for any other reason that you never know what he's going to do. I'm pretty certain nobody expected him to be the top American name on the leader board (I think that title was supposed to go to Phil Mickelson -- but he of course missed the cut). It's that kind of unpredictability that makes him such a draw at tournaments. 

Quote of the Day: Daly was asked to expound on the loud colors he wore during Saturday's third round. Daly responded: "It's the Loud Mouth stuff. It's the most fun you can have with your pants on." Only John Daly could get away with saying that during a press conference.