John Daly is synoicous for his antics on and off the golf course. Residing from the beautiful area of Dardanelle, Arkansas, the 55-year-old golfing legend has been a part of the PGA Tour since turning pro in 1987.
On the course, Daly is most known for his impeccable driving distance off the tee, subsequently giving him the nickname “Long John”.
During his professional career, Daly has won two major championships. His initial success came at the 1991 PGA Championship, and his second was followed at the 1995 Open Championship in St. Andrews.
However, Daly isn’t most known for his golfing skills, but more so for the controversy, he’s created off the course, whether it’s smoking on a course, his lifestyle, or famous anecdotes away from the competition.
The Masters 2022: Long John Tradition Continues
The 2022 edition of The Masters was underway last week, and it was Scottie Scheffler that successfully won his first major championship as Rory McIlroy finished in second place.
The current world No.1 ranked golfer collected his maiden green jacket on Sunday at Augusta, and the 25-year-old surpassed Daly on the PGA Tour career earnings list – winning four of this previous six starts in 2022 thus far.
In just 13 events, Scheffler has accumulated a staggering $10,098,014 in prize earnings. After leading the PGA Tour 2022 earnings list, he also joined Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth in the record books for earning the highest in a single season.
Finally, Scheffler overtook John Daly on the PGA Tour Career Money Leaders List. Daly was in 209th position with $10,270,681, and Scottie has now left the legend in his rear-view mirror with an overall $14,967,146 in earnings.
The avid sports bettors from Arkansas couldn’t place their bankroll behind fan-favorite Daly in Augusta. Still, Arkansas sports betting should be paying close attention to Scheffler – who continues to defy the odds. Sportsbooks are now offering a price of 250/1 for the young star to win all four majors in 2022, and his pre-tournament odds for last week’s Masters were +1800.
Future bettors should be conscious of Scheffler’s betting odds in the upcoming tournaments; he’s challenging to fault right now and undoubtedly has the potential to win countless other PGA meetings this year.
As for Daly, he was still able to get involved in the money-making process.
As Tiger Woods, Scottie Scheffler, and The Masters’ participants were busy shooting 18 holes at Augusta National, Daly returned to a tradition of his that involves Hooters, autographs, selling merchandise, all whilst enjoying a smoke.
The two-time major winner hasn’t competed at The Masters since 2006, and despite receiving an invite to play the Par-3 contest, the bad boy of golf decided to stay outside and sell his merchandise.
Long John has kept this tradition since his ongoing business relationship with Hooters started in 1997. More often than not, he’ll park his tour bus in the Hooters’ parking lot and engage with fans in his merchandise tent.
“Hooters is like a family to me, you know,” Daly told David Meltzer during an interview.
“We have done this since 1997 when I played The Masters, and I do it when I don’t,” Daly added. “So, it’s kind of a tradition now, and you just can’t beat it.”
Daly’s social media accounts were filled with photos he’d taken with Hooter girls, and of course, some of those pictures involved him holding a cigarette.
It’s all fun and games for the golfing legend who doesn’t overcharge for his merchandise and will never charge fans for photos and videos.
“I’ve found people knocking on the bus, beating all the bus – all good stuff,” said Cory Moore, Long John’s bodyguard. “I just talk to them. They’re just having fun, and they’re excited to see him. Because nobody else comes and does this. I have a video of around 200 people chanting his name when he walked off the bus.”
Of course, The Masters’ tradition itself is an unmatchable experience, and there isn’t a comparison. Still, John Daly and his Hooters-sponsored camp out during The Masters is unquestionably a close second.
