AUGUSTA, Ga. — When Augusta National closed to the public due to bad weather on Monday, golf fans still found a place to celebrate golf history.
Just a mile from Augusta`s famous Magnolia Lane, people of all ages and backgrounds waited in the rain. They came to experience a different kind of American tradition.
It`s Masters week in Augusta, but as you drive east on Washington Road towards Augusta National Golf Club from I-20, another unique tradition greets you first.
`COME SEE JOHN DALY TODAY,` announces a sign outside Hooters. Since 1997, the legendary John Daly, known for his love of peanut M&Ms, Diet Coke, and larger-than-life personality, has set up shop here all week. He sells merchandise and takes photos with fans, often with a Marlboro cigarette in hand above his beard.
`John Daly is my hero,` said Bret Bowen, a local Augusta resident. `He`s the best, and maybe the most fun-loving golfer ever.`
Daly, who hasn`t played in the Masters since 2006, still comes back every year. He offers a striking contrast to the formal atmosphere of the world-famous golf course nearby. Inside Augusta National, phones, cameras, and certainly cigarettes are forbidden. But at Hooters, you find another side of Augusta, where fans can meet an approachable icon and he can be himself.
`Eat good food, smoke, sell some stuff,` Daly summarized.
And he sells a lot. Last year, his team says he sold about $780,000 worth of goods on the Hooters patio. This year, he might sell even more because of Monday`s rain delay and the long lines of people waiting. Hats, some with Daly`s face, others with the slogan `grip it and rip it,` sell for $40. Boxes of his `Short Game` cigars, described as having `cinnamon earth and elegant floral notes,` go for $250 and were sold out by Wednesday morning.
He`s the king of this alternative Augusta experience. According to AirDNA, which tracks short-term rental data, daily rental prices in town during Masters week average $656 with nearly 4,000 listings, compared to $219 and about 1,500 listings the rest of the year. On the Friday of last year`s tournament, 292 private jets landed at Augusta Regional Airport. While most of Daly`s fans aren`t billionaires, they are dedicated and often bring gifts. Behind his merchandise tables, there was a box of Vidalia onions, a sweet Georgia variety, a gift from `Dale from Vidalia` for the past decade. A fan from the Midwest brought him Wisconsin cheese.
`My Wisconsin guy always brings the cheese,` Daly said. `I love cheese and onions. Vidalia onions are the best, no matter who you are.`
Larry Stelow, another Wisconsin resident who paints pet portraits in retirement, gifted Daly a 16×20 inch painting of him with a dog.
`That. Is. Badass.` Daly said, taking a photo with Stelow.
`All I wanted was a picture with John and the painting,` Stelow said. `It was special.`
Daly sells signed golf balls for $10 (`$1 for the ball, $9 for the signature,` a staffer joked), along with photos, shirts, and replica pin flags from his 1991 PGA Championship win for $100. He signs anything purchased and takes photos with everyone.
He even made Bret Bowen`s day.
`John Daly gave me a cigarette!` Bowen exclaimed.
Daly`s legend began at the 1991 PGA Championship when the unknown 25-year-old, a former University of Arkansas golfer, entered as the ninth alternate and won. He had never seen the course before.
Regular golfers admired his `grip-it-and-rip-it` style. In 1997, he was the first player to average over 300 yards off the tee, 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 refreshing change for golf.
Off the course, Daly was more like a relatable, fun-loving character than a traditional golf star. He had a mullet, smoked cigarettes, drank beer, loved Hooters, and didn`t take himself too seriously. On the course, his fashion pushed boundaries.
Rebecca Gaines from Athens, Georgia, has taken time off work to see Daly for five years, admiring his style, which often includes neon, skulls, American flags, paint splatters, or a combination.
Golf writer Dan Jenkins once joked about Daly`s pants at the Open Championship, comparing them to a Motel 6 shower curtain.
But Gaines disagrees. `I love him because of his clothes,` she said. `That`s why I first liked him.`
Daly`s caddie, Lance Odom, met him while caddying for David Duval on the Champions Tour. They connected, and Odom now helps Daly manage the crowds and take photos with fans. He`s amazed by the attention Daly gets, unlike any other golfer.
`People come here like it`s their first Disney trip,` Odom said. `Everyone has a story. It`s like being with Michael Jordan. You can`t even go to a gas station without being approached.`
And everyone has their reasons for being a fan.
Scott Grennell from Hinesville, Georgia, came on his lunch break just to meet Daly.
`Growing up, my heroes were Pete Rose and John Daly,` he said. `And I met one today.`
Ed Burns, from Liverpool, England, but living in Toronto, admires Daly`s common-man appeal in a typically formal sport.
`He changed things, an ordinary guy like that,` Burns said. `He won the Open. I really admire him.`
Jason Gamble and his friends, part of a golf group on WhatsApp, stopped by before heading to the Masters.
`He`s like the best guy in your golf group,` Gamble said. `We`re ex-athletes, but golf is different. Seeing someone make it look as easy as John, it`s easy to appreciate his talent. He`s just a regular guy, the one you want in your group.`
For them, Daly is an inspiration.
`John is relatable. See our hat? `Drunk By the Turn` – that`s our golf group. John`s our mascot. He represents easygoing fun, smoking, drinking, and playing golf.`
For some, Daly even saved their Masters week.
Pam Duvall took time off, booked an Airbnb, and drove three hours to meet a friend with Masters passes. But her friend was unreachable.
`It was as expensive as you can imagine,` she said. `Unbelievable.`
But she had a backup plan.
`We decided to go to Hooters, and meeting John Daly and getting a picture would make it all worth it,` Duvall said. `My kids wanted Masters souvenirs. Instead, I got them signed John Daly merchandise. That`ll make it better.`
Daly has faced health issues in recent years, diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2020. His treatment included surgery, one of about 16 surgeries he`s had in eight years, including on his feet, knees, shoulder, elbow, and wrist.
`I have more metal in me than the Bionic Man,` he joked. `But I`m still here. I`m like Lazarus, always coming back.`
Daly hopes to continue his Hooters tradition as long as they`ll have him. He isn`t paid to be there, but it`s a good partnership for both sides. Daly`s son, John Daly II, a golfer at the University of Arkansas, recently won his first college tournament. Daly proudly talked about his son`s resilience.
`How cool is that? Birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie, birdie finish to get into a playoff at 1-under. The course was tough.`
But don`t expect to see Little John selling merchandise anytime soon.
`He`s focusing on golf,` Daly said.
The Augusta tradition has changed for Daly. He used to park an RV and stay there all week, with visitors at all hours. Odom remembers Michael Phelps knocking on the door one night, just wanting to hang out.
The big tent party in the parking lot is gone because Augusta National bought the strip mall for fan parking. But Daly is happy with his patio setup, his own space where fans can eat, smoke, and buy merchandise.
`I might not make the Hall of Fame, but I`ll always have the fans,` Daly said. `I love them, and they know it. We connect. Blue-collar people connect.`
Alexis Davis, a Hooters waitress from Augusta, loves this week because of the diverse fans Daly attracts.
`The golf fans bring a different energy,` she said. `They`re excited for the Masters or coming back and sharing their stories.`
She sees Daly as bridging the gap between the fun and formal sides of golf. Even famous friends like Ken Griffey Jr., Matt Damon, and Joey Fatone visited.
`You can have both,` she said. `Golf, Masters attire, but also letting loose and having fun.`
Or as fan Karson Angell said:
`If you`re at the Masters and not coming to Hooters after, where are you really at?`
Jasper Hawthorne