JACKSONVILLE, Fla. —  Professional golfer John Daly has been ordered to pay almost $272,000 in legal fees for his unsuccessful libel lawsuit against The Florida Times-Union.

Duval County Circuit Judge Hugh Carithers ordered Daly to pay $263,088 in attorney's fees, plus costs of $8,675.99 and 8 percent interest rate per year until it is paid.

Carithers dismissed the lawsuit in March. He ruled that former columnist Mike Freeman's statements in a 2005 column were either true or constitutionally protected opinion.

Calls to Daly's attorney, Lydia A. Jones, and Daly's agent, Bud Martin, and Times-Union publisher Lucy Talley were not immediately returned.

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