John Daly (golfer)

For other people named John Daly, see John Daly (disambiguation).

John Daly
Personal information
Full name	John Patrick Daly
Nickname	Wild Thing, Long John, The Lion
Born	(1966-04-28) April 28, 1966 Carmichael, California
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
Nationality	United States
Residence	Dardanelle, Arkansas
Career
College	University of Arkansas
Turned professional	1987
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour (joined 1987) European Tour (joined 2002)
Professional wins	19
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	5
European Tour	3
Asian Tour	1
Nationwide Tour	1
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 2)
Masters Tournament	T3: 1993
U.S. Open	T27: 1997
The Open Championship	Won: 1995
PGA Championship	Won: 1991
Achievements and awards
PGA Tour Rookie of the Year	1991
PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year	2004

John Patrick Daly (born April 28, 1966) is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour.

Daly is known primarily for his driving distance off the tee (earning him the nickname "Long John"), his non-country club appearance and attitude, and his rough-and-tumble personal life. Daly remains one of the most popular and intriguing figures on the PGA Tour. His two greatest on course accomplishments are his "zero to hero" victory in the 1991 PGA Championship, and his playoff victory over Costantino Rocca in the 1995 British Open.

Daly's last PGA Tour victory came in San Diego in 2004, earning him a two-year playing exemption. For 2012, Daly does not have full playing privileges on the PGA Tour, and must rely on his status as a past champion, and on sponsor invitations, to gain entry to events.

Daly is the only man from either Europe or the United States to win two major golf championships but not participate in the Ryder Cup.

Early life, family, and education

Daly was born in Carmichael, California. His family: Dad Jim, Mom Lou, older sister Julia, older brother Jamie and John moved from California to Dardanelle, Arkansas when he was four, and he began playing golf the following year.

Daly attended Helias High School in Jefferson City, Missouri, and was a letterman in football and golf. In golf, he was a Missouri state champion; he held and continues to hold several kicking records in football. Daly attended the University of Arkansas, where he was a member of the golf team. He left college before completing his degree.

Golf career

Daly turned professional in 1987, and his first pro victory came in the 1987 Missouri Open. He won the Ben Hogan Utah Classic in 1990; he also won two South African Sunshine Tour pro events that year.

Wins 1991 PGA Championship

He joined the PGA Tour in 1991 and won the PGA Championship that year. This victory gained Daly a significant amount of media attention, due to the fact that Daly was the ninth and final alternate for the Championship. He entered the competition when Nick Price dropped out, since his wife Sue was about to give birth, and no other alternate could make it to the tournament site in time to start. Daly, playing just his third major, was able to have Price's caddy Jeff (Squeaky) Medlin caddy for him. Daly, a virtual unknown at the time, parlayed this opportunity into a first-round score of 69, without a practice round over the very difficult Crooked Stick Golf Club course. He finished the tournament with scores of 69–67–69–71, giving him a three-stroke victory over Bruce Lietzke. Daly was subsequently named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. He was also the first rookie to win a major title since Jerry Pate won the U.S. Open in 1976.

His surprise victory provided the impetus for a cult-like fanbase, composed of many people who had not been previously attracted to golf, and from that point onwards, Daly became one of the most popular players on Tour; he proved able to swell the attendance at events he played. He won the B.C. Open in 1992 and the BellSouth Classic in 1994.

Wins 1995 British Open

In 1995, Daly unexpectedly won the British Open in a playoff with Italian Costantino Rocca at St Andrews. He is the only eligible two-time major winner never selected to play in the Ryder Cup. This distinction is often used in quiz shows; in 2006, Scottish golfer Sam Torrance took over nine minutes to (correctly) answer this question on Britain's longest-running game show A Question of Sport.

Non-exempt status since 2007

Daly entered the 2007 PGA Tour season without full exempt status for the first time since his 1991 PGA Championship victory, which carried a 10-year PGA Tour exemption. Another such exemption was earned with his 1995 British Open win. When Daly won the 2004 Buick Invitational, he earned a 2-year exemption, which expired at the end of 2006. Daly finished 193rd on the 2006 PGA Tour Official Money List, thereby losing his full exempt status for 2007.

As he is not among the Top 50 on the PGA Tour's All-Time Career Money List, Daly must now depend heavily on sponsor invitations (PGA Tour Exemption Category 11). Some 2007 PGA Tour events extended such invitations. Outside of sponsor invitations, Daly can also play in many 2007 regular events via Exemption Category 30, "Past Champions, Team Tournament Winners and Veteran Members beyond the Top 150 Leaders on the 2006 PGA Tour Official Money List".

As far as individual tournaments are concerned, Daly is exempt for life in the PGA Championship and AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, and up to age 60 in the British Open. In order to play in the Masters, U.S. Open, a World Golf Championship or a FedEx Cup Playoff Event, Daly would have to satisfy the particular invitational requirements of such events.

Fans and golf columnists point to the 2005 WGC-American Express Championship as the event where John Daly's post-2006 exempt status would be determined. Tied with Tiger Woods at the end of regulation play, Daly missed a short par putt on the 2nd extra playoff hole, giving Woods the victory. Had Daly instead made the par, and then had gone on to win, he would have earned a 3-year PGA Tour exemption through 2008.

Daly was invited to play in the Honda Classic on March 1, 2007 on a sponsor's exemption, but had to withdraw after two holes. He pulled a muscle near his shoulder blade when he tried to stop his backswing after a fan snapped a picture. In December 2008, he was suspended for six months by the PGA Tour.

2009 'Comeback'

After his 2008 suspension, Daly was forced to head 'across the pond' and compete on the European Tour. After undergoing lap-band surgery to lose 40 pounds, Daly began donning Loudmouth Golf Apparel. He also began playing much better golf, even managing to finish 2nd at the Italian Open. On May 26, 2009, Daly announced that he would return to the PGA Tour, via sponsor's exemption, for the St. Jude Classic. On July 17, Daly told The Dan Patrick Show that he had lost 80 pounds thanks to the surgery, dropping him to 205 lbs.

However, after shooting a personal-high 88 at the Buick Open in late July, he claimed to be losing confidence in his game, and his swing coach blamed the surgery for making him lose muscle along with weight, taking power away from his swing.

Golf style

Daly's golf swing is easily recognized, as he sends the club way "past parallel" to the ground on his backswing, an unorthodox method that nevertheless generates tremendous power. Daly is a consistent challenger for the Driving Distance crown and has won that title a record-setting 11 times as of 2004, 8 of which were consecutive. His lifetime average for distance off the tee is 309.4 yards, and his single-season personal best is an average of 314.3 yards, which he attained in 2003. Single drives in excess of 350 yards are not uncommon, and Daly can reach very long par 5 holes in two strokes. Daly claimed on The Howard Stern Show to have done an 806-yard drive on the LA airport runway. He is also known for having soft hands and a deft touch in his short game around the greens.

Daly has been sponsored in recent years by Loudmouth Golf, John Daly's Golf Shops, Gripmaster Golf Grips, Golf (Focus Golf Systems), Hooters restaurants, and 84 Lumber. In May 2009 his Hooters sponsorship was dropped. Also in 2009 he signed sponsorship deals with All Sport and Big Red.

Off-course life

Daly does not fly to most tournament sites in the U.S., but instead travels in a personal recreational vehicle. Daly's career has been interrupted from time to time by off-course personal incidents: He recorded an autobiographical album titled My Life, featuring guest performances by Darius Rucker, Willie Nelson, Johnny Lee, and Daron Norwood. He contributed background vocals for the "Half Your Age" track on the 2007 Kid Rock album entitled Rock And Roll Jesus.

Alcoholism

Daly once claimed that he drank a fifth (750mL) of Jack Daniel's every day during the year he was 23 years of age, and the various reported incidents include being removed from a British Airways airplane by airport security for harassing a flight attendant while drunk. He has entered into various alcohol addiction programs, including the Betty Ford Clinic, at least three times, and has experienced four divorces since becoming a professional golfer.

In May 1993, he was upset by his opening round at the Kemper Open, threw his scoring card in the scoring tent, walked off, and was disqualified. In late 1993, Daly was given an indefinite suspension for 1994 after quitting in the middle of the Kapalua International, and was told to seek treatment for his alcoholism. He was at first suspended for the first 12 tournaments of the 1994 season, but he returned a few weeks earlier than expected, and played in the Honda Classic, finishing fourth. These incidents resulted in a stretch between 1996 and 2001 without a professional victory. During this stretch, Daly was especially known for having spectacular blow-up holes near the end of rounds such as knocking multiple balls into water or out-of-bounds for a double-digit score, or for hitting a ball while it was still moving, and then walking off the course. During the 1998 Greater Vancouver Open, Daly was visibly shaking as he tried to play, causing television announcers to audibly wince at the sight.

In March 2008, Daly's swing coach Butch Harmon quit, saying that "the most important thing in [Daly's] life is getting drunk."

In 2006, Daly launched a wine label John Daly Wines, now defunct. The mixed drink John Daly is also named after Daly, though not with his approval. On Sunday, October 26, 2008, Daly was taken into protective custody by Winston-Salem police, after he was found drunk outside a Hooters restaurant.

At the British Open on July 15, 2010, Daly said he was no longer drinking alcohol.

Gambling

In 2006, Daly revealed in the last chapter of his autobiography that he has had great difficulty with a gambling problem. He claims to have lost between US$50 and $60 million over the past 15 years. This includes losing $1.5 million in October 2005, after winning half that amount at the WGC-American Express tournament, most of it lost on $5,000 Las Vegas slot machines. Daly has been able to pay his gambling debts mostly through making more paid public appearances and through sponsorship opportunities.

Drugs and the PGA

In July 1994, Daly claimed that many PGA golfers were cocaine users, and said that if drug testing was done properly on tour, he would be "one of the cleanest guys out there". This statement brought an uproar among the pro golf community. Daly voluntarily missed the remainder of the 1994 season, citing physical and mental exhaustion.

Health

John Daly refused to partake in the British Open Champions Dinner because as he has stated, "You can't get this fat boy into a suit."^{[citation needed]} He has admitted the only reason he does not lift weights is because the health club does not let him smoke there and he would get sick after he worked out.^{[citation needed]}

In early 2009 he had "Lap-Band Surgery" which limits the amount of food that he can consume. He reportedly lost more than 40 pounds in less than eight weeks after having the surgery.

According to an interview with Jim Gray on Live from... the PGA Championship (a Golf Channel show) on Wednesday, August 12, 2009, Daly claimed to have lost 91 pounds following the surgery and weighed under 200 lbs.

As of December 8, 2009, Daly had shed well over 100 pounds and was "a slim, trim 185".

Marriages

First marriage

In summer 1987, he married Dale Crafton. They divorced in February 1990.

Second marriage

In summer 1992, he married Bettye Fulford. They had a daughter, Shynah Hale. In December 1992, Daly was charged with third-degree assault for throwing his second wife Bettye into a wall at their home near Denver. The actual circumstances of the incident remained unclear so far as public releases were concerned, since Bettye did not wish to pursue the matter. Daly has said in his autobiography that he did not, nor has he ever, hit or hurt a woman. He apologized for the incident, which has now been characterized more as "shoving" than "throwing", entered an alcohol rehabilitation center, and took time off from golf tournaments in early 1993. He divorced Bettye at least in part because she turned out to be ten years older than she originally told him she was.

Third marriage

Late in 1995 he married Paulette Dean. They had a daughter, Sierra Lynn. They divorced in 1999.

Fourth marriage

On July 29, 2001, he married Sherrie Miller. Their son John Patrick Daly II was born July 23, 2003. On June 8, 2007, Daly and Sherrie got into a fight at a restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee, site of that week's tour stop, the Stanford St. Jude Championship. Daly claims that later that night his wife attacked him with a steak knife. He showed up for his second round on Friday afternoon with cuts and scrapes across his face. Authorities were contacted by him and came to his house, but his wife had already fled the scene and taken their children with her.

Sherrie (at some point) pleaded guilty to federal drug charges and was sentenced to a five-month prison term. On December 17, 2010 in Memphis, Circuit Court Judge Donna Fields awarded custody of the couple's 7-year-old son, "little John" to Daly, and jailed Sherrie for interfering with Daly's court-ordered visitation rights and other failures to abide by the court's orders in their ongoing divorce proceeding, saying “She is not following this court’s orders. That is criminal contempt.”

Daly's third ex-wife, Paulette Dean Daly, has now been linked to baseball star Roger Clemens in an alleged affair during Clemens' marriage.

Lawsuits

In 2005 Daly sued the Florida Times-Union for libel after a columnist claimed Daly "failed the scoundrel sniff test". A judge threw out the case in 2009, saying that Daly had failed to prove the basis of the libel claim: namely, that the statements were untrue. Daly was also ordered by a judge to pay the newspaper over $300,000 in legal fees.

Charity works

Daly is known for his involvement in many charities including several in northwest Arkansas. He has donated money to his high school, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Daly is also an active supporter of the sports programs at the University of Arkansas. He shaved his signature "mullet", and donated the proceeds from the event to various charities. Daly regularly plays in the celebrity Pro-Am Monday after the Masters hosted by his friends, Hootie & the Blowfish.

Music career

In April 2010, Daly released his debut music album called "I Only Know One Way" on Long Ball Records/Hopesong Digital/GMV Nashville. He wrote/co-wrote eight tracks on the album. One track includes Hootie And The Blowfish's lead singer Darius Rucker and a cover of Bob Dylan's Knockin' On Heaven's Door.

Video game

In 2010, publisher Oxygen Games released John Daly's Prostroke Golf for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. In the game, John Daly is the instructor, as well as the opponent, for players. The game includes twelve courses modeled after real-world courses, but these are locked at the outset. In order to unlock courses, players must defeat Daly in Challenges, including driving, short game, and putting. Unlocking a course allows the player to play against Daly and other players in tournaments.

Professional wins (19)

PGA Tour wins (5)

Legend Major championships (2) Other PGA Tour (3)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning Score	Margin of Victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Aug 11, 1991	PGA Championship	-12 (69–67–69–71=276)	3 strokes	Bruce Lietzke
2	Sep 27, 1992	B.C. Open	-22 (65–66–67–68=266)	6 strokes	Joel Edwards, Ken Green, Jay Haas, Nolan Henke
3	May 8, 1994	BellSouth Classic	-14 (69–64–69–72=274)	1 stroke	Nolan Henke, Brian Henninger
4	Jul 23, 1995	British Open	-6 (67–71–73–71=282)	Playoff	Costantino Rocca
5	Feb 15, 2004	Buick Invitational	-10 (69–66–68–75=278)	Playoff	Luke Donald, Chris Riley

PGA Tour playoff record (2–2)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1995	British Open	Costantino Rocca	Won four-hole playoff (Daly 4–3–4–4=15, Rocca 5–4–7–3=19)
2	2004	Buick Invitational	Luke Donald, Chris Riley	Won with birdie on first extra hole
3	2005	Shell Houston Open	Vijay Singh	Lost to par on first extra hole
4	2005	WGC-American Express Championship	Tiger Woods	Lost to par on second extra hole

European Tour wins (3)

Legend Major championships (2) Other European Tour (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning Score	Margin of Victory	Runner-up
1	Aug 11, 1991	PGA Championship	-12 (69–67–69–71=276)	3 strokes	Bruce Lietzke
2	Jul 23, 1995	British Open	-6 (67–71–73–71=282)	Playoff	Costantino Rocca
3	Sep 2, 2001	BMW International Open	-27 (63-64-68-66=261)	1 stroke	Pádraig Harrington

Asian Tour wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning Score	Margin of Victory	Runner-up
1	Oct 12, 2003	Kolon Korean Open	-6 (73-69-72-68=282)	2 strokes	Thaworn Wiratchant

Nationwide Tour wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning Score	Margin of Victory	Runner-up
1	Sep 16, 1990	Ben Hogan Utah Classic	-13 (65-69-69=203)	1 stroke	R. W. Eaks

Other wins (11)

• 1987 Missouri Open
• 1990 AECI Charity Classic (South Africa), Hollard Royal Swazi Sun Classic (South Africa)
• 1993 Alfred Dunhill Cup (team event with Fred Couples and Payne Stewart)
• 1999 JCPenney Classic (with Laura Davies)
• 2002 Champions Challenge (with Pat Perez), Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Rich Beem and Jim Furyk)
• 2003 Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational
• 2003 Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Mark Calcavecchia and Peter Jacobsen)
• 2006 TELUS Skins Game
• 2007 TELUS Skins Game

Major championships

Wins (2)

Year	Championship	54 Holes	Winning Score	Margin	Runner-up
1991	PGA Championship	3 shot lead	−12 (69–67–69–71=276)	3 strokes	Bruce Lietzke
1995	British Open	4 shot deficit	−6 (67–71–73–71=282)	Playoff 1	Costantino Rocca

¹ Defeated Costantino Rocca in 4-hole playoff: Daly (4–3–4–4=15), Rocca (5–4–7–3=19)

Results timeline

Tournament	1986	1987	1988	1989
Masters Tournament	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
U.S. Open	CUT	DNP	DNP	T69
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
PGA Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Masters Tournament	DNP	DNP	T19	T3	T48	T45	T29	DNP	T33	T52
U.S. Open	DNP	DNP	CUT	T33	CUT	T45	T27	WD	T53	68
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP	75	T14	81	1	T67	DNP	CUT	DNP
PGA Championship	DNP	1	82	T51	CUT	CUT	CUT	T29	CUT	DNP

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Masters Tournament	CUT	DNP	T32	DNP	CUT	CUT	CUT	DNP	DNP	DNP
U.S. Open	WD	DNP	T70	DNP	DNP	T75	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
The Open Championship	CUT	CUT	CUT	T72	CUT	T15	CUT	CUT	CUT	T27
PGA Championship	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	T74	CUT	T32	CUT	WD

Tournament	2010	2011
The Masters	DNP	DNP
U.S. Open	DNP	DNP
The Open Championship	T48	CUT
PGA Championship	WD	CUT

DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

Summary

• Tournaments played: 57
• Wins: 2
• Top 10s: 3
• Top 25s: 6
• Missed cuts: 28
• Most consecutive cuts made: 7

United States national team appearances

• Dunhill Cup: 1993 (winners), 1998, 2000

See also

• Golfers with most PGA Tour wins
• Monday Night Golf

External links

• Official website
• John Daly at the PGA Tour official site
• John Daly at the European Tour official site
• John Daly at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
• John Daly book excerpt (Official publisher web page)

Adapted from the article John Daly, from Wikinfo, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.