When we last paid close attention to John Daly, he was on videotape playing golf in Branson, Mo., wearing neither shoes nor a shirt. Although it's possible I'm confusing that videotape with the highly acclaimed National Geographic film "The Elephant Seals of Guadalupe Island."

Then the big guy sort of disappeared, appearing only briefly to answer absolutely ridiculous charges by his former swing coach, Butch Harmon, that Daly was only interested in drinking beer. Daly denied the absurd allegation, pausing on occasion to adjust the plastic six-pack holder that he'd pulled onto his head and made into "eyeglasses."

But now Daly is back. He played in last week's British Open and is playing again this week.

In Russia.

There, as you might imagine, Daly has drawn hordes of loyal Russian golf fans who follow him down the streets of Moscow, staring, hands clasped over their mouths, thousands of them pointing and whispering "Oo mi godsky, ets Boris Yeltsin bak frum deadski."

In the opening round of the Russian Open, Daly shot a respectable 70 and was five strokes behind leader Vladimir Lenin, who shot a 7-under 65 and then immediately advocated the state's takeover of all mines, factories, banks and utilities.

Daly is playing this week with an injured wrist. He played last week with an injured elbow. Both injuries, according to doctors, are common to golfers. Specifically, golfers who won the 1995 British Open and now regularly wrestle a full keg of beer up the steps of a recreational vehicle.

"It's hurting pretty bad," Daly said, referring either to his wrist or the relentless throbbing in his head.

He said he was lucky to shoot a 70.

"I probably hit two of the worst iron shots that I have ever shot," he said. "They just went dead right off the tee."

Daly's only worse moment with an iron came a few weeks ago around a late-night campfire in an RV park when a cowboy accidentally branded him.

He said it was "great to see Russia getting into golf," and also said he's soaking up the cultural experience in that country, which is the world's largest and covers one-eighth of the planet's land area. By comparison, Daly now covers three-eighths.

He then surprised Russian reporters with his knowledge of literature, saying his three favorite writers are Tolstoy, who wrote "War and Peace,"  Dostoevsky, who wrote "Crime and Punishment" and his old high school buddy, Denny, who keeps writing "Wash Me" on the back window of Daly's Winnebago.