Open History: John Daly shocks at 1995 Open
The odds were 66 to 1 that John Daly, “the kid from the wrong side of the Country Club”, would win the 1995 British Open. Daly stunned spectators, players and critics when he actually pulled it off in one of the most bizarre episodes ever witnessed on the bonnie banks of St Andrews Old Course.
He drank too much, smoked a pack-a-round, was about 20 pounds overweight, had a sweet tooth for slurpees and Ding Dongs, and accumulated two ex-wives by the time he was 27. This is how many people characterized Daly, a reputation that exceeded his talent when he entered the 1995 Open.
"I don't know," he kept saying. "There's just something about this golf course I love."
Daly earned himself six par fours on the third, ninth, 10th, 12th , 16th and 18th holes. He easily reached par fives within two iron shots on several others. Despite being ranked 187th on the Tour in driving accuracy, the man had an unstoppable drive, and continued to shoot it long and straight down the fairways in winds that whipped off the Scottish seas in violent gusts.
It was shocking how well the Scottish links were suited to Daly, who played one of his most delicate games ever as two putted from more than 100 feet away, and on the 12th from 180 feet. Daly may not have been versed in the history and traditions of St Andrews but he helped everyone rediscover the wonders of the Old Course.
"He plays spectacular," said playing partner Seve Ballesteros, "There are no par-5s for him . . . Well, there are no par-4s for him either."
After remaining a leaderboard fixture for the first half of the tournament, it wasn’t until midway that people began taking his bid for the title seriously. Everyone was curious what he would do if he won and whether or not he would join the Royal and Ancient Club,
"I ain't joinin' if there's rules and c**p," he responded to eager inquiries, "I hate them rules and c**p." So what did he plan to do? Daly’s friend back in Arkansas promised to shave his head if he won, and Daly thought: “h**l, I might do it too.”
The play-off for the title came down to Daly and Italy’s Costantino Rocca on the infamous 17th Road Hole. After landing himself in the greenway bunker, Rocca tried several times to get himself out of the hazard, finally doing so but overshooting in the process. Daly won by four strokes.
Daly turned pro in 1987 but didn’t join the PGA Tour until 1991. That same year Daly won the PGA Championship, a victory that earned him a significant amount of media attention. The “zero to hero” golfer was the ninth and final alternate to be added to the Championship after Nick Price dropped out of the competition and no other alternate could made it.
Without a practice round, Daly played a round of 69 with following scores of 67-69-71. He won with a three stroke lead over Bruce Lietzke and was deemed PGA Rookie of the Year. He was the first rookie to win a major since Jerry Pate won the 1976 US Open. In 1992, Daly won the B.C. Open and the BellSouth Classic in 1994.
After winning the ’95 Open, Daly didn’t win another PGA event until 2004 at the Buick Invitational. The victory came with a two year PGA Tour exemption. After the card expired Daly finished 193 on the PGA money list and lost his full time exempt status for 2007. Daly is exempt for life in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-am, the PGA Championship, and up to age 65 in the Open Championship. He still has to meet the specific requirements for the Masters, U.S. Open, FedEx Cup Playoffs and World Golf Championship.
Daly’s career seemed to be winding down after 2007. After undergoing lap-band surgery, a procedure in which he lost a total of 180 pounds, the golfer headed overseas for the European Tour. His game began improving, scoring a second place finish at the Italian Open in 2009, and returning to the PGA Tour for the St Judes Classic.
Daly’s golf style is easily recognizable for the “past parallel” way he angles the club to the ground on his back swing. The swing generates a lot of power, one of the reasons he’s been so successful at driving. His lifetime average is 309.4 yards off the tee.
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