Daly back on for Australian Tour

Double-major winner John Daly has recovered from a rib injury and will play the Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship in December after initially withdrawing from them.

Daly has recovered from stem cell surgery and received the green light to begin playing competitively in two weeks, the American said in a statement on Wednesday.

He has also added the 29 October – 1 November Viking Classic in Madison, Mississippi to his US schedule, he said.

‘I regret the confusion the injury process has caused but I'm relieved things have begun moving in the right direction,’ Daly said.

The 1991 U.S. PGA and 1995 British Open champion has been a huge drawcard in Australia, attracting record crowds as recently as last year, but his appearances have ended in controversy.

In 1997, he angered local sponsors who had paid him a hefty appearance fee when he shot a third-round 83, then raced through his final round in a little over two hours.

Five years later, he was disqualified and then fined at the Australian PGA after he threw his putter into a lake.

At last year's Australian Open, Daly grabbed a spectator's camera and smashed it into a tree during his opening round.

The 43-year-old vowed never to return to Australia after complaining of negative media treatment but in August said he would return for another tour.

The Australian Open will be held at the NSW Golf Club in Sydney from 3-6 December while the Australian PGA Championship kicks off a week later in Queensland's Sunshine Coast.