March 2008: John Daly was a no-show for the pro-am round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He was deemed ineligible a day after his former swing coach questioned if he was more interested in drinking or golfing. As per Daly’s confession, he thought his tee time was 9:47 a.m. instead of 8:40 a.m. and he only got to know about the goof-up when he was on his way to the golf course. “Hasn’t been a good day,” Daly shared. “This is the last thing I needed in my life. I feel like I let Arnold down.”

So when he didn’t show up, a morning and afternoon alternate list for the pro-am was considered. Fredrik Jacobson was the first alternate but was ill and had to be excused. Then Ryuji Imada and Nick O’Hern were next on the morning alternate list. However, neither were present to compete and, hence, both were deemed ineligible. It has been almost 16 years since the incident, but now, one of the alternates told his side of the story, and well, it seems like Daly is in deep waters with this one.

Nick O’Hern recalled on the Talk Birdie to Me podcast and explained the whole thing was a big miscommunication but ended up saying, “I blame John Daly.” So, what really happened? Well, let’s start from the beginning.

According to O’Hern, it was all because of a little mistake on Tour’s end and, well, Daly, of course. “Well, they had a rule, back in the tour, back in the day, where if you were meant to play the pro-am but you didn’t show up or you didn’t want to play, they can disqualify you from the golf tournament. And I loved five minutes from Bay Hill… just around the corner. And I was actually an alternate for the afternoon pro-am. I think I was second alternate. But the thing was, in the physio track, they had a sheet up there saying pro-am alternates bla bla bla in the afternoon but in the locker room, apparently, it said I was in the morning, and I didn’t know that,” he said.

And then he threw some shade at Daly, saying, “Anyway, John Daly was meant to play the morning pro-am, obviously went on a bender, that’s why he didn’t show up.” So, it’s pretty safe to say the whole situation was a mess.

Daly’s personal problems have been a major issue throughout his career. He has had his share of controversies and scandals over the years, and this incident was just another example. This takes us back to what Daly’s former coach, Butch Harmon, had said in 2008: “My whole goal for him was he’s got to show me golf is the most important thing in his life. And the most important thing in his life is getting dr-nk.”

This didn’t sit well with Daly, who wished the coach would have come to him for a discussion instead of making a statement.

That’s a pretty harsh assessment, without a doubt, but it’s hard to argue with Harmon’s conclusions. But did John Daly say something in his defense? Well, surprisingly, yes.

What did John Daly say about the Arnold Palmer Invitational controversy?

John Daly had opened up about the controversy surrounding his disqualification from the Arnold Palmer Invitational as the drama was heating up. He claimed he was just trying to help drum up business for the tournament by making an appearance at the Hooters tent. And we all know how it is with John Daly and Hooters. 

“I signed about a thousand hats,” Daly said in 2008. “I love Hooters. I had a few beers and some chicken wings. It was Saturday. I wasn’t even playing in the tournament.”

He also expressed frustration about being blamed for everything that goes wrong. “My life is upside-down right now,” he said. “No matter what I do, it’s wrong. I’m thinking of writing a new song. I’ll call it, ‘I guess it’s my fault, even when it’s not my fault.'” But what about Ryuji Imada and Nick O’Hern? Weren’t they declared ineligible because of all the confusion?

Well, John Daly felt quite bad about that. Back in the day, he stated, “And the thing that upsets me is I cost Nick O’Hern and Ryuji Imada, so now I got these guys mad at me, too.”

One can’t deny that any golfer would be mad if they learned they were ineligible for the $5.8 million tournament. At that point, John Daly had played 14 times at Palmer’s event. His best finish until 2008 was a tie for 10th.

Do you think it was John Daly’s fault for missing the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2008? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.