John Daly, the two-time major champion, once defeated Tiger Woods, arguably golf’s greatest player, in 1994 while sipping whiskey on his way around the course. Daly, who was one of the most popular players on the PGA Tour, now plays on the Champions Tour, a circuit that Woods might join at the end of the year as he continues to grapple with injury.
In his heyday, Daly was one of the most successful stars on the Tour, and one round in particular saw him outperform a rising star, Woods. Recalling his alcohol-fuelled 1994 match-up with Woods, which resulted in a victory for him, Daly previously told the Tucker Carlson Encounter podcast: “We had the roundtable at Sherwood and I had my bottle of Jack Daniels then. I just meet these guys, right?
“Tiger came in and I said: ‘T, come have a drink with us, man’. And he said: ‘No, I’m going to go hit some balls’. A few hours later, I said again: ‘Come have a drink with us’. Tiger said: ‘No, I’m going to go work out’. This is going on for about five or six hours and we’re still there just pounding, getting drunk, having a good time.”
“I got a sponsorship out of it which I was happy about. TW comes out in a suit and I go: ‘Where are you going?’. He says: ‘I got a guitar on stage for you. You have to go to the dinner’. I didn’t know anything about a dinner.
“I got no shoes on, I got my shirt tucked out, I got shit spilled all over me. Just drunk. The bar room wasn’t very far, so I stumbled over there. There’s a chair and a guitar. I did ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ and got a standing ovation and said I’ll see you tomorrow. So [the next morning] we tee off, my caddie was drunk with us.
“The funny thing about Tiger is, when I got on the tee, I had my caddie bring me a crown or a Jack and Coke. If you’ve never played Sherwood, the first hole, he’s walking and walking through all the cactuses on this hill trying not to spill my drink.
“I grab my three-iron and go on the tee. To make a long story short, I shoot like 65, he shoots like 71. He was shaking his head all day.”
Daly is renowned for his desire to have a good time both on and off the golf course.
The ex-Champion Golfer of the Year has thrust himself back into the spotlight this week, following his starring role in Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore 2.
The follow-up that landed on Netflix features numerous big names alongside Daly.
Seasoned stars on the cast include Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Fred Couples and Sir Nick Faldo.
The world’s present generation of elite players are also featured.
Stars such as Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Will Zalatoris and Justin Thomas appear. Sandler has also enlisted the four biggest names in golf, aside from Woods, with Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler all joining the cast alongside Daly, who plays the role of Gilmore’s neighbour.
This article first appeared on Mirror US.