John Daly is a PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions professional golfer from the United States.

Daly is best known for his distance off the tee, which earned him the nickname “Long John”, his off-country club attitude and demeanor, his exceptionally long backswing, his inconsistent play, and his private life.

His two greatest achievements on the course are his zero victory against Hero at the 1991 PGA Championship and his playoff victory at the 1995 Open Championship against Costantino Rocca.

Daly, in addition to his victories on American soil, has won accredited professional events in South Africa, Swaziland, Scotland, Germany, South Korea, Turkey and Canada.

According to official performance statistics since 1980, in 1997 Daly became the first PGA Tour player to average more than 300 yards per drive over an entire season. He did it every year from 1999 to 2008 and was the only player to do so until 2003.

John Daly’s early life and golfing career

The famous golfer was born on April 28, 1966, in Carmichael, California. His father, Jim Daly, is an industrial construction worker and his mother, Lou Daly, is a housewife.

During Daly’s formative years, the middle-class Daly family moved frequently, living in small southern towns. His father often worked night shifts and had to travel long distances between work and home.

When John was in his fourth year on Earth, he moved from California to Dardanelle, Arkansas with his father, mother, older sister, and older brother Jamie. At the age of 11, John began his golf career playing golf at the Bay Ridge Boat and Golf Club.

Daly admired Jack Nicklaus, then a dominant professional player, from the beginning of his golf career.

When he was ten years old, his family moved 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 age 13.

He defeated all male members and the club quickly changed its rules to prohibit juniors from participating in future open club competitions.

Daly’s first significant success in golf came in 1983 when he won the Missouri State Amateur Championship, followed by the Arkansas State Amateur Championship in 1984.

Daly finished his final three months at Dardanelle High School in the spring of 1984. That summer, Daly became friends with Rick Ross, a professional golf instructor at the Bay Ridge Club, and Ross helped him in his golf for the following years.

John Daly Education

Daly attended the University of Arkansas on a golf scholarship from 1984 to 1987 and was a member of the golf team. Steve Loy and Bill Woodley coached his golf team.

Daly’s drinking problems and irregular attendance at classes led him to have a rocky relationship with both of them.

Daly qualified as an amateur for the 1986 U.S. Open, one of four majors in men’s professional golf, but missed the 36-hole cut with scores of 88 and 76.

John Daly Charity

Daly donated $30,000 to the family of a man killed by lightning at Crooked Stick Golf Club during the 1991 PGA Championship.

The man’s family used the funds to cover school fees for his two daughters. Daly was just getting started in golf and was not particularly wealthy at the time.

Daly is known for his support of numerous charities, including several in Northwest Arkansas. He has made charitable donations to his high school, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

About John Daly’s first wife, Dale Crafton

Dale Crafton is the first of John’s four wives. She was a well-known model from a wealthy Arkansas family. Their marriage didn’t last long as they divorced because their differences were “absolutely” irreconcilable.