‘Got Away Uninjured’: John Daly Lived His NFL Dream the Night Before Winning the PGA Championship

The American professional golfer, John Daly is a man of surprises. From his long driving skills to his unusual diet preferences, the golfer’s career and lifestyle have always been a topic of discussion in the golf world.

The fans were in awe when the 25-year-old won his first PGA title and the first major at the 1991 PGA Championship. Notably, he was just a ninth alternate of the Crooked Stick field that year; however, got the chance to be a part of it somehow. 

These are all the facts that the fans of the sport are aware of. However, what not many people know is that the golfer didn’t just play golf in those four days at Crooked Stick but also some other sport that he marveled at in high school. 

Daly’s straight kick between the golf major tournament

After he gained the attention of the media at the tournament, stories of Daly started to make headlines during the PGA Championship week. One of them was that he used to be a high school place-kicker. 

“So, the Colts were playing pre-season game number one on that Saturday night at the old Hoosier Dome,” Jim Nantz said. According to the American commentator, the team invited the golfer to kick a field goal off a kicker’s tee. “And he accepted,” he added.

Nantz revealed the interesting story of how the golfer attended a football event in the middle of a golf tournament that he had a shot at winning through The Press Box podcast. Notably, Daly could have injured himself and blown up his chance at winning the major. Yet, he chose to play it as he loves football and was even part of the high school team who won the 1983 Missouri state football championship.

Read more: John Daly Reveals the Lowest Point of His Golfing Career

“I was just there for one purpose, to see this kick,” Nantz said. “And John Daly came out and kicked the football and got away uninjured.” According to Nantz, Daly was a “straight-on kicker,” and not a “side-winder.” 

The last round of John Daly at the PGA Championship after his football cameo

Without the benefit of a practice round, Daly had scored a 69 from the first round. As a matter of fact, he scored an impressive 67 and 69 from round 2 and round 3, respectively. 

John Daly could only make 71 in the tournament’s final round to win the tournament with a 3-shot lead. It was a great round to have in a major tournament. However, it was not impressive as the other three rounds, maybe thanks to the restless night he had before! 

Daly’s victory at the 1991 PGA Championship was already a surprise to every golf lover as he won it unexpectedly. However, it just got more interesting after knowing how he could have hurt his leg and forfeit the tournament just because he wanted to be an NFL player for once!

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