John Daly is playing through the pain barrier at The Open in a bid to show his troubled career is finally back on track.

The 'Wild Thing' is playing some of his best golf for years after a turbulent past which saw two major wins overshadowed by alcohol and gambling problems.

Yesterday - dressed in lime green, yellow and white harlequin trousers - he shot an impressive 68. It could have been better too, had he not struck the flag at the parfive seventh with his 210-yard approach shot.

But it came at a price for the 43-year-old, who needed intensive treatment on a recurring back injury.

He said: "Practice is starting to pay off a little bit. I have been hurt for three weeks, so that has not helped. The physio here has been working on me pretty hard and they have been doing a great job just to get my back to play.

"But if they rub any more, I'm going to feel like a piece of gingerbread. It's sore but at least it's getting me through.

"The doctors called it a sprained rib head. They said athletes get it a lot while some people get it when you roll over in bed. It's a weird injury and one of those which can recur, so I have just got to keep it loose."

Daly, who won The Open in 1995, says he is now on the straight and narrow thanks to the support from his golf coach Rick Smith and girlfriend Anna Cladakis.

He added: "She's keeping me in place. We're a good team and Rick Smith has been a blessing."