John Daly NET WORTH MONEY AND MORE
Net Worth: $1 million
Profession: Golfer
John Daly is a professional golfer with a net worth of $1 million. The major breakthroughs in his golfing career were the PGA Tour and the wins in the British Open which helped him earn the major amount of his wealth. He was given the nickname ‘Long John’ owing to his driving distance off the tee. He is also known as The Lion.
John is exceptionally good at the game and is popular for his ‘grip it and rip it’ attitude. He is also known for his philanthropic attitude and his involvement with charities. But John has been linked to several controversies that have side-lined his career. He fell prey to his gambling habits. Unfortunately, the losses incurred due to losses in gambling and his four divorces have left the golfer near broke today with a little income and $40, 000 in monthly obligations.
Early Life:
John Daly was born on April 28, 1966 in Carmichael, California. His parent were Jim and Lou, and he had an elder brother and sister. He started playing golf at an early age of four, when the family relocated to Dardanelle, Arkansas. He had a keen interest in sports since childhood. He was a letterman in football and golf while in high school. He was also a part of the golf team at the University of Arkansas but he left his college before completion of graduation. He became professional in the year 1987 and his first victory was registered in the 1987 Missouri Open.
The Golf Career:
John’s professional career began in the year 1987 and in 1991 he joined the PGA Tour. He also won the PGA Championship the same year. This victory brought a lot of attention from the media as John was the last of the nine alternates and was the only one who could make it. He secured a three stroke victory and won the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors. In 1995, he won the British Open Championship over Constantino Rocca at St. Andrews. He then suffered over six years of poor play and personal disturbances. He made a comeback by winning the BMW International Open in Munich in September 2001. He then won the Buick Invitational in 2004 and also earned the PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year. He also published his memoir in the year 2006 under the title ‘My Life In and Out of the Rough’.
John is well known for the exceptionally far distances to which he can hit the golf ball. His exquisite timing and balance give him an edge over others. He is a very fast player. Golf being a game of skill and technique did not pose much problem for the heavy weighing John. He is credited by the PGA Tour with the highest score ever on a single hole: an 18 on a par-5 during the 1998 Bay Hill Invitational.
Other Ventures:
Besides golf, Daly has tried his hands in other ventures too. He is an instructor as well as an opponent in the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC video game called ‘John Daly’s Prostroke Golf’. He also owns a clothing line under the name ‘Loud Mouth’ plus a golf course design company. The sales continued to increase making it difficult to meet demand. He also launched a wine label by his name ‘John Daly Wines’ in 2006. However, it is no more functional. He has also recorded and written music as well as released music albums. His first album was ‘My life’ and second was ‘I Only Know One Way’ which was released in April 2010.
Philanthropy:
John has been involved with several charity activities. After the 1991 PGA Championship, he donated $30, 000 to the family of a man who died during the tournament due to lightning strike, even when John’s career has just started and he was not very wealthy at that time. He has donated money to his school and also supports the sports program at the University of Arkansas. He is known for his involvement with several charities, especially in northwest Arkansas.
Controversies:
In October 2006, John was taken in protective custody on being found drunk outside a Hooters restaurant. Though he was not charged but received a lot of negative publicity. Owing to this, he quit consuming alcohol. In July 1994, he made a statement saying that many PGA golfers were cocaine users which got a lot of criticism from the pro golf community.
In his autobiography, Daly admitted to having a great difficulty with his gambling habit. He claimed to have lost around $60 million over the past fifteen years. John has divorcer for four times in his life. He was charged with a third degree assault for hitting his second wife, Bettye. However the case remained off the public platform as Bettye did not wish to pursue the matter. His fight with his wife Sherrie also made it to the media headlines after Daly claimed that she had attacked him with a steak knife. She had fled the crime scene and was later awarded a five month prison term.
Big Quotes:
- “Everyone has addictions and my problem is that I have 5,000 of them. If it’s not drinking, it’s gambling; if it’s not gambling, it’s eating anything from burgers, doughnuts to M&Ms.”
- “I learned you can’t drink whiskey and play golf.”
