John Daly

At 58 years old, John Daly has this physical status:

Patrick Daly (born April 28, 1966) is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour, best known for his driving distance off the tee, his non-country club appearance and attitude, his long backswing, his inconsistency of his game (with some notable performances and some controversial events), and his personal life.

His two best on-course victories are his 1991 PGA Championship victory over Costantino Rocca and his 1995 Open Championship victory over Costantino Rocca. Daly has won recognized pro events in South Africa, Swaziland, Scotland, Germany, South Korea, Turkey, and Canada, in addition to his victories on American soil. According to official performance data collected since 1980, Daly, 1997, became the first PGA Tour player to produce more than 300 yards per drive over a full season.

He performed so again in every year from 1999 to 2008, and he was the only one to do so before 2003 in San Diego, earning him a two-year playing exemption.

Daly's career began to decline after 2006, and he had trouble making layoffs and remaining on tour.

He was primarily earning PGA Tour event entries through previous champion status and numerous sponsorship invitations. Daly is the only man from Europe or the United States to win two major golf championships, but not for the Ryder Cup since the event began in 1927. Daly has had a success in various industries.

LoudMouth Golf Apparel has endorsed him and also owns a golf course design firm.

In addition, Daly has written and performed music and has released two music collections.

An early life, family, education, and early golf were all important.

Daly was born in Carmichael, California, on April 28, 1966. Jim Daly, a factory worker, is his father; his mother is Lou Daly, a homemaker. During Daly's formative years, the Daly family, who grew up in small towns throughout the southern states, moved very often. His father often worked late at night and was often required to commute long distances between work and home.

When he was four years old, John moved from California to Dardanelle, Arkansas, with his father, mother, older sister, and older brother Jamie. The following year, John began playing golf at the Bay Ridge Boat and Golf Club in Bay Ridge, Michigan. Daly admired Jack Nicklaus, the time's greatest professional player. When John was ten years old, his family and his family immigrated to Locust Grove, Orange County, Virginia. John played golf at Lake of the Woods Golf Course in Locust Grove, where he won the spring club championship at the age of 13, defeating all of the male participants; the club later amended its rules prohibiting juniors from participating in future open club competition. The Dalys followed John Johnson to Zachary, Louisiana, where they earned their ninth grade and half of the tenth grade.

John was a junior golfer at Jefferson City, Missouri, right across the state capital from the beginning of his class ten years ago, and he was a junior golfer at the Jefferson City Country Club from the middle of his grade. He was a letterman who played in football and golf. Helias football set a new record in 1983, with John handling both punting and place-kicking duties. John was a 1983 Missouri state team HS champion with Helias; he also holds several Helias school kicking records in football.

Daly won the 1983 Missouri State Amateur Championship, followed by victory in the 1984 Arkansas State Amateur Championship, his first major golf win. Daly completed his final three months of high school at Dardanelle High School in spring 1984. Daly, who was a golf teaching professional at the Bay Ridge golf club, and Ross assisted him with his golf game for the next several years.

Personal life

"Getting drunk" was the most important thing in (Daly's) life in March 2008. "I think his lies sort of destroyed my life for a little bit," Daly replied.

After being discovered inebriated outside a Hooters restaurant, Daly was taken into safe custody by Winston-Salem police on October 26, 2008. Daly was not arrested or charged with a felony. However, the police shot his mug shot to the media, resulting in negative press. Daly promised to stop drinking alcohol, resulting in a progressive revival of his game and a positive change in his personal life, which was confirmed by Daly himself at the Open on July 15, 2010.

Daly said in an interview with Dan Patrick on August 6, 2014 that a large part of his alcohol use was due to his growing up with an alcoholic and abusive father.

Daly said in July 1994 that many PGA golfers were cocaine users and that if drug testing were carried out properly on tour, he would be "one of the cleanest guys out there". The pro golf community erupted over this statement.

He had lap-band surgery in early 2009, limiting the amount of food he could eat. Daly had shed over 100 pounds as a result of December 8, 2009, and was "a slim, trim 185."

Daly was in danger of being bitten by a brown recluse spider while holidaying in England in July 2019. He had sepsis and needed an emergency intervention.

Daly revealed in September 2020 that he had recently battled bladder cancer. The cancer was surgically removed from the body, but doctors said there was an 85 percent chance of relapse. Daly intends to change his unhealthy lifestyle, which involved smoking and drinking a lot of Diet Coke to reduce the likelihood of recurrence.

Daly confessed in the last chapter of his autobiography that he had a difficult time with a gambling addiction in 2006. Over a 15-year period, he says he has lost between US$50 and $60 million. After winning half of the WGC-American Express tournament, the majority of the money was lost on a $5,000 Las Vegas slot machine at Wynn Casino in October 2005.

Dale Crafton was married in 1987 by Daly. In 1990, the couple divorced.

Bettye Fulford, his second wife, married him in summer 1992. Shynah Hale, their daughter, had a daughter. Daly was charged with third-degree assault for throwing Bettye into a wall at their Denver house in December 1992. The true circumstances of the incident remained uncertain as far as public relations were concerned, considering that Bettye did not want to pursue the matter. Daly has stated in his autobiography that he did not, nor has he ever assaulted or hurt a woman.

Daly's divorce with Fulford was finalized in 1995, he married Paulette Dean the same year. Sierra Lynn, a girl, was born on June 1, 1995. In 1999, the couple divorced.

Sherrie Miller married her on July 29, 2001. Patrick Daly II, their son, was born on July 23, 2003. Daly and Sherrie collided at a Memphis, Tennessee, site of the Stanford St. Jude Championship this week, on June 8, 2007. Daly claims that his wife assaulted him with a steak knife later that night. On Friday afternoon, he appeared in his second round with cuts and scrapes all over his face. Authorities were called by him and arrived at his house, but his mother had already fled the scene and taken their son with her.

Sherrie (at some point) pled guilty to federal drug charges and was sentenced to a five-month prison term. Judge Donna Fields of Memphis, Tennessee, granted custody of the couple's seven-year-old son "Little John" and her sister "Irrie" for refusing to comply with the court's orders in their ongoing divorce case, saying "She is not following this court's directions." That is criminal contempt."

After a columnist said Daly "failed the scoundrel sniff test," Daly filed a lawsuit against the Florida Times-Union in 2005. In 2009, a judge dismissed the lawsuit, finding that Daly had failed to prove that the allegations were untrue. A judge has also ordered Daly to pay the newspaper over $300,000 in legal fees.

Daly is a Republican and vocal Trump supporter.

John Daly was the first of two real people to appear in Everybody's Golf film, while Shigeki Maruyama appeared in Everybody's Golf 3.

He also appears in the popular arcade golf game Golden Tee.

From 2004 to 2009, he appeared in the Tiger Woods PGA Tour video game series.

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Professional golf career

In 1987, Daly quit college without completing his degree and turned professional. In the 1987 Missouri Open, his first pro triumph came just after. Daly competed in little leagues around the United States from 1987 to 1989, with some encouraging success in South Africa, where he competed in numerous Sunshine Tour tournaments. He has participated in many PGA Tour championships, including finishing T-14 at the 1989 Chattanooga Classic and making his first appearance in a major, finishing T-69 at the 1989 U.S. Open.

He earned full playing rights on the Ben Hogan Tour (now the Korn Ferry Tour) in 1990, winning the qualifying tournament for the new circuit early this year. He then won two Sunshine Tour events in 1990, one in South Africa (where he defeated David Feherty) and another in Swaziland (where established veteran champion John Bland came second). Daly was delighted to win good-caliber events, defeating more experienced and well-known international professionals, and playing before good-sized galleries who lauded his performances.

He won the 1990 Ben Hogan Utah Classic in 1990 and had a fruitful year by placing T-12 at the 1990 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, earning 1991 PGA Tour privileges on his fourth attempt.

He started playing on the PGA Tour in 1991, continued strong play throughout the year, winning the PGA Championship in August. Daly's triumph attracted a lot of media attention due to the fact that Daly was the ninth and final alternate for the Championship. Nick Price dropped out just days before the tournament, since his wife Sue was due to give birth. Daly was able to have Price's caddie Jeff (Squeaky) Medlin caddy for him, despite being playing just his third major. Daly was compelled to arrive in time to claim his position late in the night. Despite he had no time to play a practice round at Indianapolis's extraordinarily difficult Crooked Stick Golf Club course, he was a virtual stranger at the time. With scores of 69-69-71, he claimed a three-stroke victory over veteran Bruce Lietzke, who was 15 years old, who was defeated in the tournament. His feat drew worldwide notice, boosting the hitherto virtually unknown Tour rookie to international prominence. Daly was the first PGA Tour rookie to be invited to compete in the Skins Game, a made-for-television tournament starring four top players, late in the season, and he did well there. Daly was voted PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for 1991. He was also the first rookie to win a major title after Jerry Pate won the U.S. Open in 1976.

Daly's unexpected victory and strong swing gave rise to a cult-like fan base, made up of many individuals who had not been drawn to golf and was certainly not familiar with the game, and from that point onwards, he became one of Tour's most popular players. He continued to grow in reputation as a power hitter in 1993 by becoming, apparently, the first (and now only) player to reach the green of Baltusrol Golf Club's Lower Course in two strokes.

Daly had a good season in 1992, with some top ten finishes, including finishing 5th place at The International, T-2 at the Kemper Open, and T-8 at the Buick Southern Open and the Nissan Los Angeles Open. Daly, the defending champion, failed at the 1992 PGA Championship. He completed the tournament with a score of 76-72-79-78 and ended up in 82nd place. However, he won the B.C. Championship, despite being frustrated. Open by six strokes late in the season for his second PGA Tour title.

In 1993, Daly did not have a good season. He did finish T-3 at the Masters Tournament, his only top-ten finish in a major championship outside of his two victories. Daly was unable to win the Alfred Dunhill Cup in 1993 with Fred Couples and Payne Stewart. He had five top-five finishes and one top-10 finish out of 15 cuts.

Daly lived through 1994 one of his most turbulent years. He was barred from the PGA Tour from late 1993 to early 1994, due to his behavior, which included walking off the course mid-round during the 1993 late-season Kapalua International. The suspension also covered a mid-1993 case at the Kemper Open, where he was furious after scoring a 77, threw his scorecard at the scoring tent, and was disqualified. The suspension related to another incident at the 1993 Southern Open, where Daly walked off the track without alerting his coworkers that he was quitting. In late 1993, he tried alcohol therapy for three weeks before returning to the Tour and winning the 1994 BellSouth Classic, his first victory sober. It was his third PGA Tour victory.

Daly won The Open Championship in a playoff against Costantino Rocca of Italy in 1995, during a turbulent season. Daly had previous success on this course before the tournament, and although he was listed at a great distance by bookies, some perceptive golf watchers, including David Feherty, thought the Old Course suited Daly's game extremely well. From the start of the tournament, Daly was in contention, but Michael Campbell of New Zealand led him into a very windy final round. Campbell came back in the harsh weather, but Daly played a superb final round. As Rocca, the last group, began, he was just one shot behind Daly, who had already finished his round. Rocca's long drive was just yards from the green, but his second shot resulted in a fluffed chip where he did not follow through. Rocca completed the birdie by sinking a 60-foot (18-meter) putt. Daly was unable to force a playoff with Daly. Daly defeated Rocca in the playoffs, ending the four holes of the playoff tournament at one under par, while Rocca finished third over par after smashing into the "Road Hole Bunker" on the 17th hole and taking three shots to get out.

Daly is the only eligible two-time major winner ever selected to compete in the Ryder Cup.

Daly, who was crowned champion of the 1995 Open Championship, had a rough time with his golf game and bingeing alcohol for the next nine years. Daly finished T-19 at The Players Championship in 1996 and had a top-ten finish at the Kemper Open. Daly finished T-27 with a final round 73, his highest finish in the tournament, at the 1996 United States Open. Daly's only victory in 1996 was at the AT&T Australian Skins Game, which was neither a PGA or European Tour event. Daly started the season by finishing 7th place at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in 1997. Daly's time on the PGA Tour culminated in one of his worst seasons on the Tour, with him dropping out of the U.S. Open after 77 due to his physical illness and alcohol withdrawals. Daly was reportedly attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, according to reports. The 1997 Players Championship was also excluded from Daly.

Daly shot one of the best single hole in PGA Tour golf history in 1998, netting an 18 on the sixth hole at the Bay Hill Invitational. Daly finished his 1998 season with two top-ten finishes, including finishing T-16 at the Player's Championship with a 69 finish, his highest finish in the tournament. He also dropped out of the Sprint International and the Disney Classic, and was barred from the FedEx St. Jude Classic.

Daly won the JCPenney Classic in 1999, which was neither a PGA nor European Tour event. Despite this, Daly did not have a good season in 1999, where he only had three top-five finishes and withdrew from many tournaments. At the Memorial Tournament and 83 at the Player's Championship, Daly also scored high rounds of 82. After winning the tournament in the first round, Daly finished 68th place at the 1999 U.S. Open. Daly, who suffered through the tournament, said he would never play in the US Open again, but later apologized for this. Daly had a bad season in 2000, with just one top-five finish at the Honda Classic. After shooting an opening round 83, he was banned from the United States Open.

Daly took the BMW International Open in 2001 with a one-stroke victory over Pádraig Harrington, a personal record of 27 under par for four rounds. This was the first time Daly had won a European Tour event in six years. Daly returned to the European Tour for the first time since 1995, and he had his best PGA Tour season since 1995. At the Bell Canadian Open, his best result was finishing 4th place.

Daly was inducted into the Arkansas Golf Hall of Fame in 2002 and had two top-ten finishes on the PGA Tour, including fourth place finishes at the Buick Invitational and the Phoenix Open. Daly also made the cut at the 2002 Masters, finishing T-32, the first time he will make the cut at the Masters. He also won the Champions Challenge last year, which was neither a PGA nor European Tour event. Daly did not have a good season in 2003, placing T-7 at the Shell Houston Opener and winning two other tournaments that were neither PGA Tour or European Tour events. However, Daly was a member of the winning PGA Tour team in 2002 and 2003, competing against teams from the Champions Tour and the LPGA Tour.

Daly won the Buick Invitational in 2004, and he was also named PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year in 2004. Daly defeated Luke Donald and Chris Riley in a playoff match. Until this tournament, Daly began using Dunlop golf equipment, and the Buick Invitational was his first victory in 189 PGA Tour events. During this time period, Daly's world golf ranking rose from 299th to a position in the Top 50. On the PGA Tour in 2004, he came in fourth overall.

Daly lost two PGA Tour events to two of the best golfers in 2005. On the first extra hole at the Houston Open, he was defeated by Vijay Singh's par. At the WGC-American Express Championship in San Francisco, then missed a two-foot putt on the second extra hole to fall to Tiger Woods.

Fans and golf columnists have referred to the 2005 WGC-American Express Championship as the event in which John Daly's post-2006 exemption status will be determined. Daly missed a short par putt on the 2nd extra playoff hole, tying with Tiger Woods at the end of regulation play. Woods prevailed. If Daly had made the pardon and then went on to win, he would have received a three-year PGA Tour exemption through 2008. In the 2005 Shell Houston Open, Daly made it to another playoff, but Vijay Singh lost on the first extra hole to Vijay Singh on the first extra hole.

Daly's form dropped in 2006, when he appeared in 21 games and made only 8 cuts, with only one placing top-25 finish.

For the first time since his 1991 PGA Championship victory, which earned him a 10-year PGA Tour exemption, Daly entered the 2007 PGA Tour Season without full exemption. With his 1995 Open Championship win, he received another exemption. Daly earned a two-year exemption after winning the 2004 Buick Invitational, which came to an end in 2006. Daly finished 193nd on the 2006 PGA Tour Official Money List, effectively losing his full exempt status for 2007.

Daly could have re-entered the PGA Tour qualifying process to gain admission to PGA Tour events but decided not to do so, relying on sponsor waivers to gain admission to PGA Tour events.

On a sponsor's exemption, Daly was able to participate in the Honda Classic on March 1, 2007, but had to withdraw after two holes. As he tried to stop his backswing after a fan snapped a snapshot, he pulled a muscle near his shoulder blade. Following an incident involving the Winston-Salem police in December 2008, he was suspended for six months by the PGA Tour.

Daly was forced to compete on the European Tour after his suspension in 2008. He began playing more golf after losing 40 pounds after lap band surgery, and he ended up finishing second in the Italian Open. Daly revealed on May 26, 2009, he would return to the PGA Tour by sponsoring the St. Jude Classic. Daly told The Dan Patrick Show that he had shed 80 pounds as a result of the surgery, limiting him to 205 pounds.

Daly did not win another professional tournament until December 2014, when he claimed the Beko Classic. The PGA of Europe has sanctioned the tournament, which was played at Gloria Golf Club in Belek, Antalya, Turkey.

At the 2009 Italian Open, Daly's last top finish on an elite tour came at the 2009 Italian Open. He finished second in a distant second behind Argentina's Daniel Vancsik. It showed how Daly's results had been remarkably rare. He had almost as many top finishes in the world as he did at PGA Tour events in the United States. He appeared in two South African Tour events early in his career: the AECI Charity Classic and the Hollard Royal Swazi Sun Classic in 1990, where he had finished runner-up in 1989. In addition to winning the 1995 Open Championship in Scotland, he did well in regular European Tour competitions later in his career. He won the 2001 BMW International Open and finished runner-up at the 1994 Irish Open, 2001 German Masters, 2005 BMW International Open, and the recently-titled 2009 Italian Open. The number of runner-up finishes he had at American events on the PGA Tour increased in Europe match. He also won the 2003 Korea Open, the most prestigious event on the Korean Tour.

Despite Daly's net income as of June 2, 2014, he is not on the top 50 on the PGA Tour's All-Time Career Money List, and so he now has a huge reliance on sponsorship invitations (PGA Tour Exemption Category 11).

Daly is free for life in the PGA Championship and AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, as well as up to age 60 in the Open Championship, as far as individual tournaments are concerned. Daly will have to comply with the specific invitational requirements of such tournaments in order to participate in the Masters, United States Open, a World Golf Championship, or a FedEx Cup Playoff Event. Daly hasn't played at the Masters since 2006, and he hasn't been accepted there since 2002.

However, after shooting a then-personal record 88 at the Buick Open in late July 2009, he seemed to be losing motivation in his game, and his swing coach blamed the surgery for his weight loss along with muscle loss. However, Daly attributed his high golf score to his poor eyesight.

Daly shot a career worst 90 on the 16th hole on March 14, 2014, with an 8-over-par 12 on the 16th hole. Players who frequently receive sponsorship waivers have revived discussions on players who often get cutbacks and high rounds.

For the first round of the 2012 PGA Championship, Daly recorded a score of 68. Daly placed 18th in the tournament, the first time Daly had finished in the top 20 in a major championship since the Open in 2005.

Because of his inability on the PGA Tour, Daly continued to play more abroad compared to the United States. Daly's first appearance in the late fall of 2014 after finishing T-29 at the Sanderson Farms Championship and then T-10 at the Puerto Rico Open, his first top-ten finish in three years. Daly finished T-25 at the Turkish Airlines Open, a European Tour event with a large field, just short of it. Daly won the Beko Classic on December 6, 2014, an event that was run by the PGAs of Europe, finishing at 15. It was Daly's first victory in over ten years. Daly attempted to reclaim his European Tour card in Shanghai at the end of 2015. At the BMW Masters and T-50 at the Turkish Airlines Open, he finished T-46, losing his card.

Daly, who turned 50 on April 28, 2016, was eligible to participate in the PGA Tour Champions. In May, his debut was at the Insperity Invitational, where he came in second place for the 17th time.

Daly defeated the Insperity Invitational on the PGA Tour Champions on May 7, 2017, after shooting a 14-under par for the tournament. It was his first victory in a PGA Tour-affiliated tournament since 2004, and it came exactly one year after he made his PGA Tour Champions debut. Daly is continuing to participate semi-regularly on the tour.

Daly's self-taught golf swing was designed for raw strength and distance. Daly's golf club moves his back swing considerably more than his parallel in terms of extreme coiling of his arms and shoulders, which results in a quick club head speed on his down swing. However, Daly's golf swing has contributed to his inconsistent results in golf tournaments, since almost flawless timing is required for such a quick golf swing.

Daly has had several incidents during golf tournaments that have contributed to his "Wild Thing" image, including the following:

Music career

In the Kid Rock song "Half Your Age," Daly provided back-up vocals in 2007. Daly released his second music album, I Only Know One Way on Long Ball Records/Hopesong Digital/GMV Nashville, in April 2010. On the album, he wrote and co-wrote eight songs. Hootie And The Blowfish's lead singer Darius Rucker and a preview of Bob Dylan's "Knockin's On Heaven's Door" are two tracks on the album. "The album itself is really my life," John said of his musical experience: All of the songs have a meaning. The bulk of the record is happening or has happened in my life. I hope people can relate to some of the difficulties I've faced along the way. "Everyone around the world has problems, and I want to meet those people." My Life, Darius, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Lee were among Daly's first albums, My Life.

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