A funny thing happened yesterday at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am: John Daly shot seven under par, putting him one shot back from the tournament leaders. To put that in perspective, it was Daly’s best opening round in the better part of the last decade and he remains overweight, inconsistent and, well, John Daly. If this is how the PGA has decided to make up for Tiger’s absence, we’re all for it.
Here’s why we’re rooting for “The Lion."
1. He’s a 48-year-old recovered alcoholic with four divorces, three kids, a gut that barely fits in the cart, and he’s one stroke away from the top of the leaderboard.
3. After winning the 1991 PGA Championship, Daly took a limousine through a McDonalds and order by sticking his head out through the sunroof. He’d been an alternate a few days earlier.
4. He has released two country music albums - precisely two more country music albums than anyone else on the PGA tour.