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ASH, England -- Roll up, roll up, the John Daly Circus is back in town. Well, Memphis, Tenn., next week, to be precise. And there's no finer place for the Elvis of golf (albeit in his Vegas period) to make his latest comeback special -- especially as he'll be teeing it up near his home at the St. Jude Classic. And St. Jude, wouldn't you know, is the patron saint of lost and desperate causes. Heck, no wonder Daly got an invite -- he's the perfect poster boy for the tournament.

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Warren Little/Getty ImagesJohn Daly still employed his grip it and rip it style in his five appearances on the European Tour while on suspension from the PGA Tour.

The biggest train wreck in golf, and the biggest draw in golf not named Phil or Tiger, has just completed five weeks in exile on the European Tour, where he pulled in the crowds with his three Ps: power, personality and, ahem, pants.

It's been six months since PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem finally ran out of patience with Daly when the "Wild Thing" was arrested outside a Hooters restaurant in North Carolina and was locked up in a cell for the night to sober up. Daly's ban from the PGA Tour has ended. But when he arrived last month at Wentworth Golf Club in England for the BMW PGA Championship -- the flagship event on the European Tour -- Finchem's rival, sorry, counterpart, George O'Grady welcomed the 43-year-old with open arms.

"America's loss is Europe's gain," O'Grady said. "We'd have John here every week. He brings in the crowds, signs autographs, does his interviews, nothing is too much trouble. The good side of him is fantastic, even though he might be thought of in America as a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde character."

Well, Europe got the nice Dr. Jekyll. Possibly because although hundreds and thousands of spectators still swarm around Daly like moths drawn to a shining light, Daly in Europe is less of the freak show at the county fair that he has been on the PGA Tour. And although Europe certainly has its quota of beer-guzzling knuckleheads, the cocktail of warm beer, drizzle and freezing 20 mph winds contributes to mute their exuberance rather more successfully than a crate of fizzy cold ones in a never-ending heat wave. And there's no Hooters.

Daly's tour of exile stopped off in Spain, Italy and Ireland as well as two weeks around London. His report card reads: T-31, T-2, missed cut, T-72, missed cut, and his ailing bank account received a boost of $204,000 in prize money. And after Lap-Band surgery to curtail his eating and drinking, Daly's waist has shrunk from 44 inches to 38 inches in three months and his weight has tumbled 55 pounds to 220.

Daly also made headlines in Ireland for possibly becoming the only American tourist not to drink Guinness in the old country since they started brewing the black stuff in Dublin in 1759 (and we're not talking just before 6 o'clock, either).

"My lap band won't let me drink it," Daly said to horrified gasps from the locals. "When you drink beer in the States, you can drink 12 or 13 and get a little buzz. Here, it just takes one because it's so strong. I sip on a beer maybe, but I haven't been drinking much at all."

And, yes, he did say 12 or 13.

It has been a miraculous turnaround since those police mug shots of him were released in November wearing that orange jail jumpsuit, eyes half-closed, a broken man -- again. Now, practicing one-handed bunker shots at Wentworth in May wearing a green sleeveless windcheater and pants designed by overactive children left in charge of a paint pot, a healthier and happier Daly looked every inch like the man who gripped and ripped his way to the British Open title at St. Andrews in 1995.

And that's another reason Daly is so loved in Europe, and especially in the UK. Every time he hung out at the driving range, he got the biggest audience. Never mind Ernie Els, Rory McIlroy, Angel Cabrera, Henrik Stenson, Colin Montgomerie, Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia and Paul Casey. It was Daly they came to see.

It's not just the fans who love him. The players got on board the Daly train, too. There was a constant stream of well-wishers stopping to chat, pat him on the back, laugh at his pants, make him feel at home. Retief Goosen even invited him to dinner. How's that for an "Odd Couple"?

Casey would leave the BMW PGA Championship as champion and No. 3 in the world rankings, but he couldn't contain his excitement about hanging out on the range with the 481st-ranked player.

"I am a huge fan of John's," Casey said. "I had one of those white-headed drivers with the red shaft, which I won in a competition as an amateur, and it was the best thing ever. It was the same driver I think that he used at Crooked Stick when he won his PGA there in '91. He's a pleasure to be around. He's always been a gentleman to me, and he still has that buzz about him. People want to be around him. He brings something to every tournament he plays in; I can see why sponsors continue to invite him. He's a great guy at heart.

“

All I know is when he's out on the golf course, he brings a smile to people's faces. People will go home and say: I saw John Daly today, and look at his trousers, they were outrageous, but I saw him hit this 4-iron fantastic and he stopped it on the green and it was 230 yards. There are a lot of great players out here, but that guy creates memories. I want to see him playing his best again, because when he does, it's phenomenal. It's good to see him back here.

” -- Paul Casey

"I try and see the good. Has he possibly made a couple mistakes? Yes, but I mean, I think they pale in comparison to what's going on in the world in general. All I know is when he's out on the golf course, he brings a smile to people's faces. People will go home and say: I saw John Daly today, and look at his trousers, they were outrageous, but I saw him hit this 4-iron fantastic and he stopped it on the green and it was 230 yards. There are a lot of great players out here, but that guy creates memories. I want to see him playing his best again because when he does, it's phenomenal. It's good to see him back here.

"Having said that, nice trousers [that's pants obviously, but pants doesn't work quite the same way in the UK]. I hope he's getting a lot of money," Casey said laughing.

Ah, yes, those trousers, err, pants. Put your shades on and take your pick from a black and white chef's number, to a Harlequin clown, to multicolored disco balls, to a tube of toothpaste, to 1970s Johnny Miller on acid checks, to the flower power Austin Powers 'loons he sported in Italy from the, wait for it, Shagadelic range of his collection of Loudmouth designer pants.

The British tabloids lapped it up, getting Daly (he didn't need persuading) to ham it up for photo opportunities. And Daly has the charisma to pull off the daftest of charm offensives. He was back at the center of attention and enjoying life again.

"They used to call me the Wild Thing. Now I'm the Styled Thing," he said laughing. "Get it?"

Hmm, yes, just about.

"It's a fact that if you feel good about yourself on the course, you're going to play better golf. Hell, it's working for me. When I finished second in Italy, it was my best performance for four years. The size I used to be, I could never have got away with pants like this. We are having a blast with them and I'm having fun again, which is a great place to be."

And who could begrudge him that? Not even professional curmudgeon and commentator Peter Alliss.

"He's been treated like golf's prodigal son these past few weeks in Europe," Alliss said. "Everybody, it seems, loves John."

And Daly sure knows how to work his audience. Asked whether he had made any particular friendships in his time in Europe, Daly just smiled and said in that laconic drawl: "I'm like Jesus, I love all of you."

How can you not love the newly enthused Styled Thing when he's loving life like that?

"I feel really good," he said. "I'm working hard, but I don't go to the gym, though," he said with a wry smile. "I have loved it over here in Europe. The fans are great.

"They've always come out to support me ever since I won the British Open. I hope my game comes around like it was back then. I keep them on their toes. They just never know where I'm going to go or what I'm going to do. Hell, I don't even know what I'm going to do sometimes. I just want to play. I don't really care where."

Where next, we now know, will be Memphis and a return to the PGA Tour.

"It's been a lot of fun in Europe," Daly said. "I've loved the reaction I've gotten from the media and the fans. And now I'm looking forward to getting back on the PGA Tour. At least the weather will be better," he said, laughing and trying to cling on to his umbrella at the London Golf Club so as not take off across the London skyline like Mary Poppins. "I know my fans at home have been watching me play in Europe. I honestly don't think they care where I play as long as they can see me play and root for me like they always have. That's what's so great about golf on TV these days. You can watch all the great players wherever they are around the world."

It's good to hear that he still includes himself as part of that elite group of great players because when Daly's game is hot, it's molten.

All the familiar temptations will present themselves again in Memphis. In these tough economic times, let's hope record numbers of fans turn out as they did in Europe to embrace Daly and celebrate his talents as a golfer and an entertainer and not to treat him like an exhibit in a zoo. And, hopefully, Daly can stay out of trouble, too, and away from those attention-seeking yahoos who want to yell at him and buy him a beer. And, for once, Daly is in safe hands to stand a chance of making it this time.

Rick Smith, the former coach of Phil Mickelson, has been helping Daly rediscover the swing that won two majors in the 1990s.

"I love golf and I'm very competitive, and that's what keeps me going," Daly said. "I feel I'm good at comebacks, good when I'm being written off, good when I'm backed into a corner and have to get out. I don't know if it's the last chance or what, but I still feel like I've got a lot of good play left in me."

Daly has a new girlfriend, too, keeping him on the straight and narrow. Anna Cladakis is a former Hooters waitress and executive. Oh the irony of it. But it was Cladakis who accompanied Daly to Europe and kept her man supplied with a steady shipment of coffee, Snickers bars and Cokes while he toiled away for hours on the practice ranges and putting greens come rain or shine. Mostly rain.

"Daly Saved By Hooters Girl." Even in the crazy world of John Daly, that's one headline no one could ever have seen coming.

Paul Mahoney is a contributor to ESPN.com's golf coverage. He can be reached at paulmahoney@fsmail.net.