Former Open champion John Daly insists his drinking is not out of control and vowed: "I'll be back."
The 42-year-old American, in Europe for the next two weeks trying to end a slump which has seen him crash to 595th in the world, also revealed that he had received an apology from Butch Harmon over comments made by his former coach earlier this season.
Harmon stopped working with Daly, without a top-10 finish for three years, saying: "The most important thing in his life is getting drunk."
That followed an incident when Daly spent time during a rain delay in a hospitality tent and then resumed play with the coach of the local gridiron team carrying his bag.
Daly, who is playing in the Spanish Open in Seville and then next week's Italian Open in Milan, states that that happened because his regular caddie had a neck problem.
"Butch didn't have his facts straight. We've spoken since and he has apologised to me.
"He said he didn't realise and he felt bad about it. I told him I'd lost a K-Mart deal - that was going to be big with shirts hopefully going into 1,400 stores - and that he'd cost me quite a bit of money with the stuff that he said.
"My marketability went down. It was just rumours, rumours, rumours that just weren't true and Butch seemed to believe them without talking to me.
"The coach was great for the tournament. I shot one over for those six holes, which was better than I was doing.
"Off the course it's just been really weird. The Hooters thing I did for charity - they were selling tickets for 50 dollars - but the media didn't walk to talk about that.
"It's been pretty much a bunch of lies written and it's been pretty sad. I'm used to it by now. I've lived my life with it.
"I am fine. Yeah, there was drinking involved, but that does not mean I am drinking.
"The assumption my whole life has been that no matter where I go I end up not drinking every night, but I am not.
"I will turn it on when I am home with my buddies - who wouldn't? - but at tournaments I hardly ever drink, if at all.
"That's the way it's been for a quite a while with me. The way the media come up with all these rumours has been pretty sad, but what can you do?
"The people around me know I am doing the right things. The hard work will pay off pretty soon - I will be back and I want the fans to know that. I will be back."
By that he means winning again. His last victory was the 2004 Buick Invitational in California.
A torn stomach muscle has not helped, but in terms of his golf it is his putting that Daly feels has been letting him down badly.
"It has to come around - I've put so much effort into it and now I've just got to go out and freewheel with it somehow.
"I've always loved the European Tour. I've always felt confident here, even at the British Open.
"The guys make you feel that way. I think there is a lot more camaraderie over here than our tour, where it's more 'to each his own'.
"Here you have dinner, have fun, hang out a bit. Our tour is just not that way any more."
Daly's decline has been such that he does not even have a US Tour card any more. He relies mostly on invitations and, enjoying travel as he says he does, he was happy to accept two to Europe as well.
Darren Clarke, a winner again at last himself in China on Sunday, will partner him in the first two rounds and the field also includes Colin Montgomerie, back in action after getting married again two weeks ago.
CLARKE AND DALY SET FOR SEVILLE
MONTY BACK IN ACTION
CLARKE SPURRED ON BY BAD PRESS
