John Daly is a professional golfer. That statement is an overly simple explanation of the life of John Daly. When he broke into the professional golf in 1987, he appeared to be another dedicated, hard-working golf professional with high ambitions. He won his first tournament in 1990 (the Ben Hogan Utah Classic) and debuted on the PGA Tour in 1991 where he won the PGA Championship. This is where Daly’s underdog story begins.
Daly was the ninth alternate for the PGA Championship. When Nick Faldo dropped out of the vent, and none of the first eight alternates could make the event, Daly got the call and shot a first round 69. Buoyed by the first round success, he won the tournament and the tour rookie of the year award. Several years later, in 1995, he won his second major, taking the British Open at St. Andrews.
Daly has donated time and money to charities in his home state, including his high school’s chapter of both the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club of America. He is also a supporter of University of Arkansas athletic teams.
Despite this early success, Daly failed to become the darling of the ultimate “gentleman’s sport,” golf. Daly has never been chosen to represent the United States in the Ryder Cup, and there’s good reason for that.
Daly has struggled mightily with myriad off-the-course issues, starting with gambling. He even admitted to losing over one million dollars gambling on $5000/round slot machines in Las Vegas. After claiming that the PGA Tour was rife with rampant cocaine use in 1994, Daly decided to take a leave of absence from the tour. He is an admitted heavy drinker – everything from booze to Diet Coke – and unapologetic about his various struggles with addiction. Last January, Daly was suspended from PGA Tour golf for a period of 6 months, a timeframe that has just expired.
A quote from John Daly, “I know there’s a lot of guys who would love to see me fail. Well, good. Let ‘em. I’m glad.”
Daly’s “Joe Everybody” approach to golf and life has endeared him to many golf fans across the country, and brought out a sizable portion of critics, too.
So, the question begs – is John Daly a lovable loser, or just a loser? As golf and sports fans, should we root for John Daly’s success, or admonish him for his poor example and indifference?
Loyal Homer will argue that John Daly is deserving of fan support, while Bleacher Fan will argue that John Daly is not deserving of support from fans.
May the best debater win!
Read Loyal Homer and Bleacher Fan’s opinions.
