The phrase zero to hero only means one thing in the world of golf. It’s the only phrase that best describes what John Daly masterfully did in the 1991 PGA Championship. How did this Californian-turned-Arkansas legend become one of the most iconic names to ever tee up? Let’s go through his story together.

All over the country

Jim and Lou Daly welcomed John into the world on the 18th of April in 1966. At the time, Jim was a construction worker and this often required them to move. Despite the golf legend being born in Carmichael, California, their family of five ended up moving to Virginia, Louisiana, and Missouri.

There was only one constant amid all of this movement. It was John Daly’s admiration for Jack Nicklaus and his hopes of wanting to play professional golf one day. When they finally settled in Jefferson City, he joined their golf club and eventually rose to local stardom. He won the 1983 Missouri State Amateur Championship in 1983 and then proceeded to crush it the following year in the 1984 Arkansas State Amateur Championship.

The University of Arkansas offered him a scholarship and John gladly became a Razorback. Under the mentorship of Steve Loy and Bill Woodley, he qualified for the US Open in 1986 but ended up missing the cut after recording 88 and 76. This is when his hunger for glory started to kick and he left Arkansas to turn into a professional golfer.

Controversies of a self-taught legend

One thing to note about why John Daly is called Long John is because of his swing. The odd swing which is intended to be more than parallel from his back mixed with an insane sense of timing made for a unique career with tough outcomes. He won the PGA Championship four years after leaving Arkansas and bagged five total trophies in the tour. John has three European Tour titles under his belt, two from the Sunshine Tour, and one from the Asian Tour along with the Korn Ferry Tour.

He then ended up winning The Open Championship four years after his PGA Championship triumph. However, the bane of his career is that he never won The Masters and The US Open. 

This rollercoaster of success and frustration meant that there were very tough times throughout his career. He started aiming for bystanders in the 1993 Fred Meyer Challenge, broke a camera at the 2008 Australian Open, and even got into a brawl with Jeff Roth’s dad in the 1994 NEC World Series of Golf. Not to mention, he has shattered a lot of clubs and thrown some of them throughout different golf courses in his long time playing.

His personal life was also far from desirable. He lost an estimated $51 million from gambling and struggled with substance abuse for a while. John also had lap-band surgery which limited his intake of food. He ended up beating his bladder cancer but there was a much-needed change in lifestyle because John was a chain smoker and drank too many sugary beverages. Marriages? Well, he’s been there three times and got divorced in every single one. As of the moment, he is the father to three children as well.

Where is he now?

After 19 professional wins and a peak ranking of 23rd, he is still very much active in the golf scene. Daly is still in the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions. His latest appearance was during the 2024 Ascension Charity Classic before choosing to withdraw in the Constellation Furyk and Friends tournament at the Timuquana Country Club. He is currently valued at $2 million after venturing into music with three studio albums. He also has a golf course design company, JD Designs.