‘His Lies Kind of Destroyed My Life’: When John Daly Called Out His Former Swing Coach for Incorrect Claims About Him Drinking

Over the past three decades, John Daly has been one of the most prominent names in the golf world. However, unlike other golfers, the majority of his prominence has been an outcome of his controversies. Walking down memory lane, one such controversy dates back to the year 2008, when he indulged in an unpleasant exchange of words with his former swing coach, Butch Harmon.

In March 2008, Butch Harmon, elaborating on an incident, pulled back from working with Daly any further. He claimed that drinking superseded golf for Daly. A couple of months later, in July 2008, Daly came out in public, calling out the whole brief by Harmon a ‘lie’. Expressing himself, the two-time major champion also elucidated how the words of Harmon destroyed his life.

John Daly cleared out the air about Butch Harmon’s lie

Walking down memory lane, the incident dates back to the 2008 PODS Championship. With a rain-hit first round in place, Daly reportedly headed to the corporate tent of the US bar and restaurant chain Hooters. While Daly claimed to have had a diet coke in the tent, Harmon, on the other hand, said that Daly was drunk.

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The incident not only made it to the headlines but also forced Daly to clear the air. Indulging in a conversation with a media house, Daly started by asserting, “I think his lies kind of destroyed my life for a little bit, the lies he said about being at the Hooters tent and all this stuff.”

Dark clouds often leave only after causing massive damage. Similar was the case with Daly. Waiting at the Hooters tent, he met Jon Gruden, head coach of Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL). During the meeting, Gruden sportingly accepted to caddie for Daly after learning about his original caddie’s neck injury. However, to Harmon, the act seemed seemingly ridiculous.

“But then the stories come out that I was drinking in the tent, drunk and stuff on the Thursday, and it’s a joke,” Daly said, with a sense of disappointment. “Butch, I guess, told The Golf Channel that I’m just a drunk and it was ridiculous [that] coach Gruden caddied for me.”

Daly called out Harmon for pulling back from talking to him

Similar to Daly, Harmon was also an alcohol and gambling addict in the 1980s. Prior to working with ‘Wild Thing’, he also worked with Tiger Woods. Considering his in-fame status, Harmon expressed his thoughts about Daly on the public platform. While he received backing for his words from a handful of golfing fans, it didn’t seem to go well with Daly.

“He just made up stuff that he didn’t really know the facts were straight, and by putting it out all over the world and not talking to me, I mean, it’s kind of ridiculous,” Daly said.

“I think his lies kind of destroyed my life for a little bit…”

Thus, the golfer was not happy with what was said about him publically.

The issues did not end here. Going ahead, Daly further asked Harmon to stay ‘as far as possible’ from him. On the contrary, Harmon believed that Daly needed to reassess his life. Something, that, according to Harmon, could help Daly get back to golf in a better way.

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More than a decade after the incident, Daly and Harmon are today walking on their self-paved path of success. While Harmon continues to coach golfers for their swing, Daly continues to stay connected with the game by playing in the PGA Champions Tour.