AUGUSTA, Ga. — On Monday, when Augusta National closed its gates to patrons because of bad weather, golf fans still found a historic place to celebrate golf history.
Just a mile from Augusta`s famous Magnolia Lane, they wait in the rain — young and old, from everywhere — to make a pilgrimage. Like the song says, they`ve all come to look for America.
It`s Masters week in Augusta. But when you get off I-20, go east on Washington Road towards Augusta National Golf Club, you first see another tradition that`s very different.
`COME SEE JOHN DALY TODAY,` says a sign outside Hooters. Since 1997, this big and famous legend, who loves peanut M&Ms and Diet Coke, has been here all week selling his stuff and taking pictures with fans, with a Marlboro cigarette in his mouth.
`John Daly is my hero,` said Bret Bowen, who lives in Augusta. `He`s the best, most fun golfer ever.`
Daly hasn`t played in the Masters since 2006, but he comes back every year. He`s very different from the serious atmosphere of the famous golf course down the street. Inside Augusta National, you can`t use phones or cameras, and definitely no cigarettes. But at Hooters, you find a different Augusta, where fans can meet a relatable icon and he can do his thing.
`Eat good food, smoke, sell stuff,` Daly said.
And he sells a lot. Last year, Daly`s team said he sold about $780,000 worth of goods at Hooters. This year, he might sell even more because of Monday`s rain and the long lines of people. Hats with Daly`s face or sayings like `grip it and rip it` sell for $40 each and keep selling all day. Boxes of his `Short Game` cigars, with 20 cigars in each, described as `full of cinnamon earth and elegant floral notes,` sell for $250. They were sold out by Wednesday morning.
He`s like the king of the other Augusta. Data shows that during Masters week, daily rental prices in town are much higher than usual. Many private jets arrive at Augusta Regional Airport during the tournament. Daly`s fans aren`t usually billionaires, but they are loyal and often bring him gifts. Behind his sales tables, there was a box of Vidalia onions, a special sweet type from Georgia, given to him by `Dale from Vidalia,` a gift he gets every year for the past ten years. A fan from the Midwest also brought him their state`s famous cheese.
`My Wisconsin guy always brings cheese,` Daly said. `I love eating that cheese and onions. Vidalia onions are the best, no matter who you are.`
Another person from Wisconsin, Larry Stelow, who started painting pet portraits after retiring, brought Daly a painting of him with a dog.
`That`s awesome!` Daly said, taking a picture with Stelow.
`All I wanted was a picture with John and the painting,` Stelow said. `It was really special for me.`
Daly sells signed golf balls for $10 — `$1 for the ball, $9 for the signature,` said one of his staff. He also sells pictures, shirts, and copies of pin flags from his 1991 PGA Championship win for $100. He`ll sign anything someone buys and take a photo with them.
And he also made Bret Bowen`s dream come true.
`John Daly gave me a cigarette!` he said.
Daly became famous at the 1991 PGA Championship when he won as an unknown player. People loved his `grip-it-and-rip-it` style. In 1997, he was the first player to average over 300 yards per drive, and he led the PGA Tour in driving distance 11 times between 1991 and 2002. He also won the Open Championship in 1995. He was a big change for golf.
Off the course, Daly was more like a regular guy, not a typical serious golfer. He was known for his mullet, cigarettes, beer, eating at Hooters, and not taking himself too seriously. On the course, his style was also different from the usual golf fashion.
Rebecca Gaines from Georgia has been coming to see Daly for the past five years. She likes his style, which often includes bright colors, skulls, American flags, and paint designs.
A famous golf writer once joked about Daly`s pants, comparing them to a shower curtain from a cheap motel.
But Gaines doesn`t agree. `I like him because of his clothes,` she said. `That`s why I started liking him.`
Daly`s caddie, Lance Odom, met him a few years ago. Odom says he`s never seen anyone get as much attention as Daly, especially not from other golfers.
`People come here excited, like it`s their first time at Disney World,` Odom said. `Everyone has a story about him. It`s like being with Michael Jordan. You can`t even go to the gas station without people coming up to him.`
And everyone has their own reasons for liking him.
Scott Grennell from Georgia came on his lunch break just to see Daly.
`When I was growing up, my heroes were Pete Rose and John Daly,` he said. `And I got to meet one of them today.`
Ed Burns from England, who lives in Canada, likes that Daly brought a more common person`s feel to golf.
`He changed things, being a normal guy like that,` Burns said. `He won the Open. I really admire him.`
Jason Gamble and his friends stopped by to see Daly before going to the Masters.
`He`s like the regular guy in your golf group, but way better,` Gamble said. `We all played sports before, but golf is different. When you see someone make it look as easy as John does, you appreciate it. And he`s just a normal guy. He`s the guy you want to play golf with.`
For them, Daly is a role model.
`John is our guy. See this hat?` he said, pointing to his hat with `DBT` on it. `It`s for our golf group: Drunk By the Turn. John is like our symbol. He`s just cool and free. Smoking, drinking, and playing golf.`
And sometimes, he even makes up for things going wrong during Masters week.
Pam Duvall took time off work, booked a place to stay, and drove to Augusta to meet a friend who promised her Masters passes. But her friend wasn`t there.
`It was as expensive as you can imagine,` she said. `Unbelievable.`
But she had another plan.
`We decided to go to Hooters, and if we could see John Daly and get a picture, it would be worth it,` Duvall said. `My kids wanted stuff from the Masters. I got them signed things from John Daly. That`ll make it all good.`
Daly has had some health problems in recent years. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2020. He`s had many surgeries, about 16 in the last eight years, including on his feet, knees, shoulder, elbow, and wrist.
`I have more metal in me than the Bionic Man,` he said. `But I`m still here. I`m like Lazarus, always coming back.`
Daly hopes to keep coming to Hooters every year if they want him. He doesn`t get paid to be there, but it`s good for both him and Hooters. Daly`s son, John Daly II, is also a golfer and just won a college tournament. Daly is proud of his son.
`How great is that?` Daly said. `Birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie, birdie to finish and got into a playoff. The course was really hard.`
But his son won`t be selling shirts anytime soon.
`He`s going to focus on golf,` Daly said.
Things have changed for Daly in Augusta over the years. He used to stay in a bus or RV in the parking lot, but now he`s on the patio. He`s happy with his spot where fans can eat, smoke, and buy his stuff.
`I might not get into the Hall of Fame, but I`ll always have the fans,` Daly said. `I love them, and they know it. We`re regular people, we understand each other.`
Alexis Davis, a waitress at Hooters in Augusta, says it`s her favorite week because of all the different fans Daly brings in.
`The golf fans bring a different kind of energy,` she said. `They`re excited to go to the Masters or coming back and telling me all about it.`
She says Daly connects the fun and serious sides of golf. And famous people like Ken Griffey Jr., Matt Damon, and Joey Fatone also come by.
`You can have both,` she said. `You can have golf and dress properly for the Masters, but you can also relax and have fun.`
Or, as another fan said:
`If you`re going to the Masters and not coming to Hooters after, what are you even doing?`
