AUGUSTA, Ga. — When Augusta National closed to the public due to bad weather on Monday, golf enthusiasts found another iconic spot to honor the game`s heritage.
Just a mile from Augusta`s famed Magnolia Lane, fans of all ages and backgrounds waited in the rain, making a pilgrimage. As the saying goes, they`ve come to experience a slice of Americana.
It`s officially Masters week in Augusta. Driving east on Washington Road from I-20 towards Augusta National Golf Club, you`re first greeted by a different kind of tradition.
A sign outside Hooters proclaims, `COME SEE JOHN DALY TODAY.` Since 1997, the legendary, larger-than-life figure, known for his love of peanut M&Ms and Diet Coke, sets up shop here all week. He sells merchandise and poses for photos with fans, always with a Marlboro Red cigarette dangling above his distinctive beard.
`John Daly is my hero,` declared Bret Bowen, a local Augusta resident. `He`s simply the best, and maybe the most entertaining golfer ever.`
Daly, despite not playing in the Masters since 2006, returns annually. He offers a striking contrast to the revered atmosphere of the world-famous golf course nearby. Inside Augusta National, phones, cameras, and certainly cigarettes are forbidden. However, at Hooters, you find another side of Augusta, a place where fans can connect with an approachable icon in a setting where he can be himself.
`Eat some good food, smoke, sell some stuff,` Daly summarized.
And he sells a lot of merchandise. Last year, his team reported sales of around $780,000 on the Hooters patio. This year, he might surpass that due to Monday`s rain and the long lines of fans. Hats, some featuring Daly`s face, others with the slogan `grip it and rip it,` sell steadily at $40 each. Boxes of his `Short Game` cigars, described as having `cinnamon earth and elegant floral notes,` retail for $250 and were sold out by Wednesday morning.
He is the king of Augusta`s alternative scene. According to AirDNA, which tracks short-term rental data, daily rental prices in the area average $656 during Masters week, compared to $219 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, a box of Vidalia onions, a famous sweet Georgia variety, sat as a gift from `Dale from Vidalia,` an annual tradition for a decade. A fan from the Midwest also brought him a famous export from their state.
`My Wisconsin guy always brings the cheese,` Daly mentioned. `I devour that cheese and those onions. You can`t beat a Vidalia onion, no matter who you are.`
Larry Stelow, another Wisconsin resident and retired pet portrait painter, presented Daly with a 16×20 inch acrylic painting of him with a dog.
`That. Is. Badass,` Daly exclaimed, taking a picture with Stelow.
`All I wanted was a picture with John and the painting,` Stelow said. `It was a special moment for me.`
Daly sells signed golf balls for $10, explaining, `One dollar for the ball, nine for the signature,` along with photos, shirts, and replica pin flags from his 1991 PGA Championship victory for $100. He signs anything purchased and takes photos with every fan.
And he fulfilled Bowen`s dream as well.
`John Daly gave me a cigarette!` he 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 remarkably won. He had never even seen the course before the tournament.
Everyday golfers were captivated by his `grip it and rip it` style. He was the first player to average over 300 yards off the tee in 1997 and topped the PGA Tour in driving distance 11 times between 1991 and 2002. He also secured a second major, the Open Championship, at St. Andrews in 1995. It was a revolution for the sport.
Off the course, Daly was more of a relatable personality than a traditional golf icon, an unconventional figure with a mullet who enjoyed cigarettes, beer, Hooters (his favorite restaurant), and never took himself too seriously. On the course, he challenged golf fashion norms, moving from traditional argyle to more rebellious styles.
Rebecca Gaines from Athens, Georgia, has taken time off work to see Daly for the past five years, admiring his style, which often includes neon, skulls, American flags, paint splatters, or a combination.
Legendary golf writer Dan Jenkins once joked about Daly`s pants at an Open Championship, saying, `A Motel 6 called from the states—they want their shower curtain back.`
Gaines disagrees. `I love him because of his clothes,` she said. `That`s what drew me to him.`
Daly’s caddie, Lance Odom, met him while caddying for David Duval on the Champions Tour. They clicked, and Odom now assists Daly, managing the lines of fans and taking photos. He`s amazed by the attention Daly receives, unlike anything he`s seen with other golfers.
`People come here, and it`s like their first trip to Disney with him,` Odom remarked. `Each person has a story. It’s like being with Michael Jordan; you can`t even go to a gas station without being recognized.`
And they all have their reasons for being there.
Scott Grennell from Hinesville, Georgia, isn`t there for golf. He`s on his lunch break and wanted to make it worthwhile.
`Growing up, I had two heroes: Pete Rose and John Daly,` he shared. `And I got to meet one today.`
Ed Burns, from Liverpool, England, but now living in Toronto, admires Daly`s everyman appeal in a traditionally elite sport.
`He was one of the guys who changed the game, an ordinary guy like that,` Burns said. `He won the Open. He has my respect.`
Jason Gamble and his friends, part of a large golf group on WhatsApp, stopped by on Wednesday before heading to the Masters.
`He`s like the relatable guy in your golf group, just much better,` Gamble said, standing with his friend Malik Davis from Augusta. `We’re all former athletes, but it doesn`t always translate to golf. Seeing someone make the game look as effortless as John makes it easy to appreciate his talent. He`s just a regular guy, the kind you want in your foursome.`
For them, Daly is an inspiration.
`John resonates with us. See the DBT?` he asked, pointing to his hat. `That`s our golf group: Drunk By the Turn. John is our mascot. I love what he represents—just a relaxed, free spirit, smoking cigarettes, drinking, and playing golf.`
And in some cases, he even salvaged a potentially ruined Masters week.
Pam Duvall took time off, booked an Airbnb, and drove three hours to meet a friend who promised Masters passes. But upon arriving in Augusta, her friend was nowhere to be found.
`It was as expensive as you can imagine,` she said. `Unbelievable.`
But she had a backup plan.
`We decided to go to Hooters, and if we could see John Daly and get a photo, it would make it all worthwhile,` Duvall explained. `My kids asked for Masters souvenirs. Instead, I got them signed merchandise by John Daly. That will make everything better.`
Daly has faced health challenges in recent years, including a bladder cancer diagnosis in September 2020. His treatment included surgery, one of about 16 he estimates he`s had in the last eight years, including on his feet, knees, shoulder, elbow, and wrist.
`I have more metal in me than Lee Majors,` he joked. `But I`m still here. I`m like Lazarus, constantly coming back from the brink.`
Daly hopes to continue his Hooters tradition annually, as long as they`ll have him. He doesn`t receive an appearance fee; it`s a mutually beneficial arrangement, a business partnership. Daly’s son, John Daly II, a golfer at his father`s alma mater, University of Arkansas, recently won his first college tournament at the Columbia Spring Invitational. The proud father bragged about `Little John`s` resilience in the final stretch.
`How cool is that?` Daly said. `Birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie, birdie finish to get into a playoff at 1-under. That`s how tough the course was.`
But don’t expect to see Little John selling merchandise anytime soon.
`He`s going to focus on golf,` Daly stated.
The atmosphere has changed for Daly in Augusta in recent years. He used to arrive in a bus or RV and stay in the parking lot all week, with fans knocking at all hours. Odom remembers Michael Phelps once knocking on the door, just wanting to hang out.
The large tent in the parking lot that became a party hub is gone. Augusta National bought the strip mall where Hooters is located and now uses it for fan parking. But Daly is content with his patio spot, his own small kingdom where fans can eat, smoke, and buy merchandise.
`I might not make the Hall of Fame, but you know what? It seems like I’ll always have the fans,` Daly said. `I love them, and they know it. We just connect. Blue-collar people are supposed to connect.`
Alexis Davis, a Hooters waitress and Augusta resident, says this is her favorite week of the year because of the diverse fans Daly attracts.
`The golf crowd brings a different kind of energy,` she said. `They`re excited, ready for the Masters, or returning and sharing their stories.`
She believes Daly perfectly bridges the gap between the formal and fun sides of golf. Even his famous friends like Ken Griffey Jr., Matt Damon, and Joey Fatone have joined the Wednesday crowds.
`You can have both,` she concluded. `You can have golf, proper attire for the Masters, but also relax and enjoy yourself.`
Or, as another Daly fan, Karson Angell, put it:
`If you`re going to the Masters and you`re not coming to Hooters afterward, where are you really at?`
