Born: April 28, 1966
Birthplace: Carmichael, California
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 220 lbs.
Turned Pro: 1987
Bio
Nothing about John Daly is subtle, from the way he carries himself on the golf course to the way he smashes 320 yard drives down the fairway. Throughout his whole career John really hasn't done anything that could be considered subtle.
In 1991 Daly came bursting on to the scene. In his rookie year on the PGA Tour Daly stunned the world by winning the PGA Championship by three strokes as an alternate into the field. He followed up his major victory at Crooked Stick by winning twice more in the next three years and then stunning the world again by winning the 1995 British Open at St. Andrews.
With his ability to out drive all of his fellow competitors and his down-to-earth disposition, John quickly became a fan favorite.
After the Open John fell upon rough times. His stints in rehab were well documented as were his marriages and divorces. Although he still played in tournaments it was pretty obvious that golf had taken a back seat to all the other battles Daly was fighting.
In 2004 Daly seemed to put that behind him. With a new music CD out, Daly had one of his best years ever. He won the 2004 Buick Invitational in a playoff over Luke Donald and Chris Riley. He made 17 cuts in 22 starts and nearly played himself onto his first Ryder Cup team.
Although mostly recognized for his huge backswing and incredible power John's short game is exceptional and ranks right up there with the best.
Quick Facts
PGA TOUR Victories
(5) 1991 PGA Championship. 1992 B.C. Open. 1994 BellSouth Classic. 1995 British Open Championship. 2004 Buick Invitational.
European Tour Victories
(4): 1990 AECI Charity Classic [SAf], Hollard Royal Swazi Sun Classic [SAf]. 2001 BMW International Open [Eur]. 2003 Kolon Korean Open [Asia].
Other Victories
(3): 1993 Dunhill Cup [with Fred Couples and Payne Stewart]. 2002 Champions Challenge [with Pat Perez]. 2003 Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational.
Equipment
The one club that everyone is anxious to know about is the driver that Daly plays. Despite Dunlop's best efforts to get Daly using their LoCo Pro driver he has been seen lately using the Taylor Made R7. Daly's driver is a 7.5 degree with a Penley shaft designed specifically for him. The shafts he uses are John Daly Signature shafts that weigh about 75 grams with 3.2 degrees of torque. Daly also adds a lot of lead tape added on the toe of the driver head to help keep the toe back.
He also carries a Taylor Made fairway wood, the V-Steel in a 13 degree head with the Penley graphite shaft.
Daly does use Dunlop for his irons. He plays a model called the Dunlop RG Player irons from 2-9. These irons are investment cast but they use a 304 stainless steel which is a softer feel than most cast clubs. They have a muscle back head for workability and Dunlop stamps the lion on the back of the head. The irons have Dynamic Gold shafts in them.
The wedges he uses are the new Cleveland CG10 wedges in a 48, 50, and 60 degree head. The wedges are fitted with Penley Stealth 90 graphite shafts.
You may have noticed a couple things about Daly's putter on TV. The first is that it has a red hosel. The putter is in fact called the Dunlop Redneck. It is similar in shape to a Ping Anser but the head is made heavier and with the signature red neck to make it stand out. The second thing you probably noticed is that Daly uses a graphite shaft in his putter. The trademark yellow and black Penley Stealth shaft is his personal preference and he is the only professional player I know of to use a graphite shaft in the putter. The other standout on Daly's putter is the see-through grip he uses. The decal underneath is stamped Grip It and Rip It. An unusual putter to be sure but it helped John to one of his best season's on tour.
The ball he plays is also custom designed just for him. It is a prototype Dunlop LoCo Pro three-piece ball with 432 dimples. This is an exceptionally high number of dimples but the ball has been fitted specifically for John Daly for low-spinning, high-launching drives.