The Daly Planet is still populated with adoring fans.

From the time John Daly left the scorer's tent after signing for his final-round 68 all the way back to the clubhouse, fans were screaming for his autograph.

Except for Tadd Fujikawa, probably no one brought out a Sharpie pen more than Daly this week at the Waialae Country Club.

Big John is still a folk hero with golf fans, even if he lost his fully exempt status on the PGA Tour after finishing with a career-worst 193rd on the 2006 money list with only $193,134 in earnings.

He's even shunted to the back of the 2007 PGA media guide in the "others" category.

But who doesn't like the guy who can grip it and rip it?

That's why tournament sponsors are all standing in line to extend exemptions to Daly.

The Sony Open in Hawai'i was front and center as the first full-field event of the year. And Sony officials certainly got their money's worth.

Now, Daly hopes to get his money's worth from similar sponsor's exemptions the rest of the year. He can receive an unlimited number as a past champion, unlike non-tour players who are limited to seven.

Daly's off to a good start in 2007, finishing tied for 28th with a 72-hole total of 276 to earn $36,140.

"I think I played better than I scored every day except for (Saturday) when I hit only two fairways," Daly said.

"I just can't seem to get a low round here. Maybe 2- 3-under at the best," added Daly after his sixth appearance at the Waialae. Country Club.

He did shoot a 6-under 64 in the opening round of the 2001 Sony Open, the last time he played here. But subsequent over-par rounds made it easy for him to forget.

Hitting Waialae's many dog-leg fairways, especially with the crosswinds, were difficult not only for the long-hitting Daly but the rest of his fellow pros.

"The front nine here is such a tough golf course for me because I hit a left-to-right shot. Holes 6, 8 and 9 are all out to the left and you don't know where to aim," he said. "Although I actually played them somewhat decent."

Fans who came to see Daly hit his driver, got their money's worth at the par-4, 417-yard 16th hole, which played down wind.

"I played 16 pretty good," Daly said.

Pretty good was an understatement.

He played it 3-under-par, birdieing it every day except the third round despite a 381-yard drive.

In the first round, his 396-yard drive soared over the trees left of the fairway, leaving him a distance to the flagstick so short that ShotLink measured it in feet (88) not yards.

Yesterday, he drove the left greenside bunker with a towering 395-yard wallop for another ridiculously easy birdie.

"It's good for the driver on that hole," said Daly, whose shortest tee shot there went "only" 327 yards. But he still birdied the hole.

It wasn't just drive for show for Daly, who was happy with his putting stroke.

"I've putted so much better than I have," he said. "I made a lot of good putts to keep me in it."

So he's looking with anticipation to this year after last year's crash and burn.

"About everything that could have gone wrong went wrong," Daly said about last year when he missed the cut in half of the 16 tournaments he played. He also withdrew from five other events.

Physical ailments and family problems didn't help a game that went awry. But Daly believes he has found his swing again and is excited about golf again.

"I've been working hard to get ready. I thought my swing is coming around. I love the way I'm swinging," said Daly, crediting a new swing coach. "He helped with my swing this week already."

Daly isn't entered in this week's Bob Hope Chrysler Classic but he's looking forward to a year that would be uncertain to anyone else but him because of all of the sponsor's exemptions in hand.

How many?

"I've got a few," replied Daily, who's assured of playing in the two majors he won as past champion — the PGA Championship (1991) and the British Open (1995).

Twenty-one?

"A little more than that."

Obviously, the Daly Planet is also populated with tournament sponsors.