John Daly Bio
John Patrick Daly, born April 28, 1966, is an American professional golfer widely recognized for his exceptional driving distance and unorthodox approach to the game. Nicknamed “Long John,” he first captured worldwide attention in 1991 when, as the ninth and final alternate, he won the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club near Indianapolis. Five years later, he added The Open Championship in 1995, defeating Italy’s Costantino Rocca in a playoff at the Old Course at St Andrews. Across more than three decades in professional golf, Daly has become one of the sport’s most recognizable and polarizing figures, celebrated for his prodigious power off the tee and candid personality.
After turning professional in 1987, Daly accumulated 19 professional wins across multiple tours, including five on the PGA Tour, three on the European Tour, two on the Southern Africa Tour, one on the Asian Tour, one on the Korn Ferry Tour, and one on the PGA Tour Champions. He reached a career-high Official World Golf Ranking of 23 in October 2005 and was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 1991 and Comeback Player of the Year in 2004.
Early Life and Background
John Patrick Daly was born in Carmichael, California, on April 28, 1966. His father, Jim Daly, worked as a construction laborer on industrial plants, while his mother, Lou Daly, was a homemaker. The working-class family moved frequently during his childhood, eventually settling in Dardanelle, Arkansas, when John was four. He has an older sister and an older brother, Jamie. The family later relocated to Locust Grove, Virginia, and then to Zachary, Louisiana, before John completed his high school years in Missouri and Arkansas.
Daly began playing golf at age five at the Bay Ridge Boat and Golf Club in Dardanelle, quickly developing a passion for the sport. By age 13, he defeated all the male members of the Lake of the Woods Golf Course in Virginia to win a club championship, prompting the club to revise its rules to bar juniors. He later attended Helias High School in Jefferson City, Missouri, where he lettered in both golf and football and helped lead the football team to a 10-0 record in 1983. He won the 1983 Missouri State Amateur Championship and the 1984 Arkansas State Amateur Championship. Daly then attended the University of Arkansas on a golf scholarship from 1984 to 1987, where he played under coaches Steve Loy and Bill Woodley and qualified for the 1986 U.S. Open as an amateur.
Path to Professional Golf
Although Daly left the University of Arkansas without completing his degree, his amateur experience laid a strong foundation for his professional transition. His qualification for the 1986 U.S. Open as an undergraduate demonstrated his competitive potential, and his relationships with coaches Loy and Woodley provided valuable mentorship despite well-documented off-course struggles.
Daly turned professional in the summer of 1987 and won the Missouri Open shortly thereafter. He spent the next two years competing in minor events and developed his game on the Southern African Tour during the 1989-90 season, capturing the AECI Charity Classic and the Hollard Royal Swazi Sun Classic. Returning to the United States, he earned a spot on the Ben Hogan Tour in 1990 and won the Utah Classic before securing his PGA Tour card by finishing T-12 at the 1990 qualifying tournament.
John Daly Career
Early Career (1987-1990)
From 1987 through 1989, John Patrick Daly played mostly in smaller tournaments across the United States, gradually building confidence and competitive experience. His breakthrough came in the 1989-90 season on the Southern African Tour, where he beat Northern Ireland’s David Feherty to win the AECI Charity Classic and outplayed South African veteran John Bland to win the Hollard Royal Swazi Sun Classic. Those international victories hinted at the talent that would soon explode on the world’s biggest stages.
Back home, Daly earned full playing privileges on the Ben Hogan Tour for 1990, won the Utah Classic, and finished T-12 at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament to secure his PGA Tour card. He was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 1991 after a stunning debut season that included his first major title.
PGA Tour Breakthrough (1991-1995)
John Patrick Daly joined the PGA Tour in 1991 and announced himself to the world in spectacular fashion. As the last alternate into the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick, he drove through the night, played without a practice round, and posted scores of 69-67-69-71 to win by three strokes over veteran Bruce Lietzke. The “zero-to-hero” victory earned him PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors, an invitation to the Skins Game, and a devoted fan base. He added the B.C. Open in 1992, briefly moved into contention at the 1993 Masters with a T-3 finish, and won the 1994 BellSouth Classic, which he called his first sober victory.
In 1995, despite a middling regular season, John Patrick Daly authored another major triumph. Listed at long odds, he won The Open Championship at the Old Course at St Andrews in a four-hole playoff over Costantino Rocca, who famously holed a 60-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to force the extra session. The win made Daly a two-time major champion and further cemented his reputation for delivering under pressure.
Struggles and Setbacks (1996-2003)
Following his 1995 Open win, John Patrick Daly battled personal and professional issues that produced a nine-year PGA Tour win drought. He continued to display his immense driving power, becoming in 1997 the first PGA Tour player to average more than 300 yards per drive over a full season, a feat he repeated every year through 2008. Despite occasional flashes of brilliance, including a victory at the 2001 BMW International Open in Germany and a T-32 at the 2002 Masters, his results and playing status fluctuated significantly throughout the early 2000s.
He was suspended for six months by the PGA Tour in December 2008 after an off-course incident. After undergoing lap-band surgery to lose weight, he began playing better, including a runner-up finish at the 2009 Italian Open. He continued to compete abroad for several years, with limited status on the PGA Tour.
Comeback Era (2004-2009)
John Patrick Daly’s 2004 season marked a remarkable resurgence. He won the Buick Invitational in a playoff over Luke Donald and Chris Riley, his first PGA Tour victory in 189 events, and was named PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year. That year he ranked fourth on the PGA Tour, making 17 cuts in 22 starts and climbing back into the top 50 of the world rankings.
He nearly added a WGC title in 2005 at the American Express Championship, losing a playoff to Tiger Woods, and reached another playoff at the Shell Houston Open, where Vijay Singh prevailed. He ended 2014 with a victory at the Beko Classic in Turkey, his first professional win in more than a decade, and signed a number of new endorsement deals as his form gradually returned.
PGA Tour Champions Era (2016-Present)
John Patrick Daly turned 50 on April 28, 2016, and became eligible for the PGA Tour Champions. He debuted at the Insperity Invitational in May 2016 with a T-17 finish, then returned to The Woodlands in May 2017 and won the Insperity Invitational at 14-under par. It was his first win on a PGA Tour-affiliated circuit since the 2004 Buick Invitational and arrived exactly one year after his Champions debut.
He has since continued to compete semi-regularly on the PGA Tour Champions while relying on sponsor invitations for occasional PGA Tour starts. He remains exempt for life in the PGA Championship and the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, and eligible for The Open Championship through age 60.
Driving Style and Strengths
John Patrick Daly is best known for his self-taught, power-oriented swing, which features an exceptionally long backswing generated by extreme coiling of the arms and shoulders. That motion produces tremendous club head speed and helps explain why he became the first PGA Tour player to average more than 300 yards per drive in a full season, leading the tour in driving distance 11 times from 1991 to 2002. The trade-off is consistency, since such a violent swing demands nearly perfect timing on every shot.
Notable Events and Milestones
Beyond his two major championships, John Patrick Daly reached the green of the 630-yard 17th hole at Baltusrol in two strokes in 1993, an apparent first. He is also the only eligible two-time major winner since 1927 never to be selected for the Ryder Cup, a stat that underscores both his peaks and his complicated standing in the game.
John Daly Career Wins
Across his professional career, John Patrick Daly has accumulated 19 sanctioned victories spanning the PGA Tour, European Tour, Asian Tour, Southern Africa Tour, Korn Ferry Tour, and PGA Tour Champions. His wins span more than three decades, beginning with the 1987 Missouri Open and including major championships at Crooked Stick in 1991 and St Andrews in 1995, as well as his 2017 Insperity Invitational triumph on the senior circuit.
PGA Tour Highlights
John Patrick Daly has won five PGA Tour events, beginning with the 1991 PGA Championship and the 1992 B.C. Open, and including the 1994 BellSouth Classic and the 2004 Buick Invitational. He also won the 2004 Buick Invitational in a playoff over Luke Donald and Chris Riley to cap his Comeback Player of the Year campaign.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside the PGA Tour, John Patrick Daly has posted three European Tour wins, including the 2001 BMW International Open, two Southern Africa Tour titles, one Asian Tour victory at the 2003 Korea Open, one Korn Ferry Tour win, one PGA Tour Champions victory at the 2017 Insperity Invitational, and additional titles in team events, skins games, and developmental tours around the world.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| PGA Tour | 5 | ||
| European Tour | 3 | ||
| Asian Tour | 1 | ||
| Southern Africa Tour | 2 | ||
| Korn Ferry Tour | 1 | ||
| PGA Tour Champions | 1 |
John Daly Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
John Patrick Daly was raised in a working-class family shaped by his father Jim Daly’s construction work and his mother Lou Daly’s role as a homemaker. The family moved often, including a final stop in Dardanelle, Arkansas, which remains Daly’s longtime residence. He has an older sister and an older brother, Jamie.
Personal Life
John Patrick Daly has been married four times and has three children. He wed Dale Crafton in 1987, Bettye Fulford in 1992, Paulette Dean in 1995, and Sherrie Miller in 2001, with each marriage ending in divorce. He has battled alcoholism publicly for much of his career, with a six-month PGA Tour suspension in 2008 marking a turning point, and has worked to maintain sobriety since 2010.
2025 Season Performance
John Patrick Daly continues to compete primarily on the PGA Tour Champions, where he remains a fan favorite. He also made a cameo appearance as a fictionalized version of himself in the 2025 film Happy Gilmore 2, reflecting his enduring mainstream popularity. Although he has not added a Champions title since his 2017 Insperity Invitational breakthrough, he regularly posts solid finishes and remains a draw for sponsor invitations.
His exemption status into several major championships is a key storyline, with lifetime access to the PGA Championship and AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and Open Championship eligibility through age 60. While he has not played the Masters since 2006 and has not made the cut there since 2002, he continues to explore options to qualify for U.S. Open and Masters invitations through his performance and sponsor access.
Off the course, John Patrick Daly remains active in endorsement work with LoudMouth Golf Apparel, his golf course design company JD Designs, and various other business ventures, and he continues to participate in charitable causes tied to his Arkansas community. His 2025 outlook centers on selective Champions appearances, entertainment opportunities, and the ongoing search for one more signature win on the senior circuit.
