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By John Maginnes
PGATOUR.com Contributor

Possible, as opposed to actual; capable of being or becoming -- that is how Webster's Dictionary defines the most dangerous word in the English language: potential. Actually, "can't" is the most dangerous word but potential is a close second... and could potentially take over the No. 1 spot.

The interesting thing about potential is that you never hear TOUR pros talk about their own potential. TOUR pros have talent, expectation and desires. Parents, fans and the media are the ones who talk about potential. The reason we love professional golf is because potential is virtually removed from the equation. As I have stated here before, the thing that makes the TOUR unique is the fact that you have to qualify.

John Daly is still a fan-favorite. (Vuich/WireImage)

Knowing that, and having been through it, I am often surprised and somewhat perturbed when the accomplishments of a player on TOUR are questioned. Recently, one of the many golf bloggers not only questioned John Daly's fitness and heart, he also took him to task for the way he used his considerable ability. He wrote, "John Daly has wasted more talent than any athlete since Micky Mantle."

You can pick on TOUR players and you can pick on my heroes, but you can't do both without hearing from me. After all, I have the potential to take offense to things like that.

Mantle's foibles have been as well-noted as his achievements. I don't have to chronicle the pitfalls of John Daly's career, either. He is a man who has never shied away from admitting that he has made mistakes, though. The only thing that John seems to shy away from is discussing his overwhelming generosity. Occasionally, stories surface about the lives that John has touched, but one story that rarely gets mentioned is the number of Nationwide Tour and mini-tour players that John has lent a helping hand to over the years.

I don't know John as well as I know some of the other players on TOUR. But I do know this: To suggest that John withdrew from The Honda Classic due to a lack of heart is ludicrous. Furthermore, to attack his record as unfulfilling, or to say he has not reached his potential, is confusing at best. The man has won as many major championships as the entire European Ryder Cup Team combined. He has more majors than all but five of the current top-20 players in the world.

Would anyone suggest that David Toms, Davis Love III or Jim Furyk -- with one major each -- have not lived up to their potential on the PGA TOUR? Heck, you could go so far as to say that Jack Nicklaus didn't live up to his potential because he finished second in 19 majors yet only won 18 ... only.

The inane suggestion that this game comes easy to some of the players on the PGA TOUR drives me crazy. The amount of athleticism required to play the TOUR is rarely enough to separate players. Granted, in recent years, the belt size of some of the game's best has been reduced through healthier living. However, that is a new trend when you look at the history of the PGA TOUR. Tiger is an exceptional athlete but Nick O'Hern couldn't be mistaken for a professional bowler, much less a middle linebacker. Perhaps he has an aptitude for table tennis but the fact is that he is one of the best golfers on the planet. He can't even be considered wiry but Nick has a pretty good record against the world No. 1.

Golf is a game of overcoming adversity. We have all known can't-miss kids who did. You remember that kid who could drive it a country mile and had the solid short game but just couldn't seem to put it all together when it mattered. For every one of those kids there is an individual tale of woe.

The same is true for the guys who did make it. Every TOUR player has a story of trial and error, success and setback. In the late 1980s Fred Funk was the golf coach at the University of Maryland. He was the best playing coach in the country but no one could have predicted that he would have a better career on TOUR than every player he coached -- and most that he coached against. And those who suggest that he exceeded his potential don't understand.

Did you know that aerodynamically a bumble bee can't fly? Its wing span is not long enough to lift its body weight off the ground. They do not have the potential to fly. But no one ever told that to a bumble bee.

People expected John Daly to fly and they won't be satisfied -- regardless of the heights he reaches. Fred Funk wasn't supposed to be able to get off the ground. If you insist on viewing the TOUR with a critical eye then view it with a sense of realism. The beauty of the TOUR is that you never know who is going to break through next. Every player on TOUR has the potential to win.