John Daly has been a professional golfer for 38 years.
The big-hitting American is a two-time Major champion and has five PGA Tour victories.
His exploits away from golf are even more legendary and his ‘Wild Thing’ nickname is well deserved.
Daly has plenty of anecdotes from his decades on the course and shared one about a young Tiger Woods in 1990.
He was asked to recall his greatest story from the golfing icon’s career on the Like a Farmer Podcast.
“I can’t say that on the show,” he joked before telling a more tame tale.
“I was playing the Nike Tour, back in 1990 I think it was, and we got to Texarkana Country Club,” he began.
“A little kid 12, 13 years old. I’m playing with him and people were talking how great he’s going to be and all this. And I’m excited, right? It was Tiger Woods.
“They were playing — I can’t remember what the junior tournament was called — but it was a big one. It goes all over the world.
“I meet this kid. We get on this par three of Texarkana Country Club. I don’t know. It was like 210, 215 yards, and I had a five iron. He’s watching. I had a Maxfli. I hit this ball, the rubber band came flying out of the ball. And it got to the front of the green.
“And Tiger, to this day… I ask him, ‘what’s the greatest shot you ever saw in golf?’ He’ll say that shot.”
Few could have predicted at the time just how good Woods would go on to become.
Only Jack Nicklaus has more than Woods’ 15 Major victories and the 49-year-old is worth an estimated $1.3 billion.
Daly did, however, leave thinking the kid would go places.
“What an unbelievable kid,” he added. “I met his mom and dad that day.
“I said, ‘Look, I know he’s going to make it. Hopefully, I will, too, but you ever need anybody to look out for him. I will.’”
Daly, who says he doesn’t drink water and enjoys chain smoking while he plays, thinks Woods and other pro golfers are paying the price for pumping too much iron instead of hitting the fairways.
“This whole workout thing started. Doing some things is good, but I think the hardcore working out is going to hurt these guys,” the 58-year-old said. “They won’t be playing when they’re 55, 60 years old.”
He later added: “I don’t believe you have to work out that hard to play the game of golf.
“I think a lot of guys lose their flexibility. And so many guys are mechanical, too.
“That means their body’s not equipped to taking the club back as far as I can.”
Daly said in his day players used to have a meal and drinks, practice ‘a bit’ and then start drinking again.
Woods changed the game with his professionalism and modern pros have followed his lead.
Daly will not be joining what he believes is a ‘fad.’