A younger version of John Daly is in the golf town. No, it’s not his son, John Daly II. This newly crowned bad boy is none other than Daniel Brown. This English pro was recently spotted “ripping darts at Royal Troon.” His bold stunt on the greens instantly caught the attention of the golf world, and fans were soon to compare him to his predecessors.

The first obvious comparison was to John Daly. Brown was referred to as ‘Young John Daly’ by the fans after visuals came to light. The other comparison was drawn to Charley Hull, another English pro who has reportedly taken to ripping darts on the course at the 2024 US Women’s Open. Hull even went on to sign her initials on a dart upon a fan’s request. While the 29-year-old has not signed his name on a dart yet, his act of smoking on the greens of the final major of the season is enough to get the golf world talking.

The English rookie is surely living his dream in Scotland as he debuts in this historic major. His antics and his performance have gotten him much fame already. Brown has managed to stay at the top of the leaderboard by shooting 65 and 72 on Thursday and Friday. He sure is looking to enter the weekend in the top few places, and with the kind of play he has going on, with four birdies in the first 12 holes, he will.

If all bodes well for this Englishman, he might even have a chance to earn the top three spots worth over a million. If he manages to win the Open in his rookie season, it’ll surely add to his growing fandom.

Brown’s act of ripping darts in a nostalgic John Daly fashion made a permanent place for him in the hearts of fans. While smoking is not at all a healthy habit, as we all know, when a pro does it on the course it makes you realize the frailties of being human.

Imperfection is like second nature, and when an athlete does something so relatable, it surely catches one’s eye. A similar effect was witnessed in the golf world. Fans seemed to have developed a soft corner for this Englishman. So what did the golf world have to say?

Daniel Brown’s unexpected smoking antics make him a golf world favorite

Even though John Daly withdrew from the event following the first round due to his knee injury, fans found a younger version of him in the English rookie. This young pro filled in the golf’s bad boy’s shoes, and reminded everyone of his colorful antics. Witnessing his bold act, fans left comments, “A young JD,” YOUNG JOHN DALY” and “Smokem if you gottem…stress reliever.” 

Talking about how in this super-stressed environment, Brown’s stress relief aligns with the 58-year-old. Daly was seen smoking moments before withdrawing from The Open due to injury troubles. But his smoking antics are not recent. He was reportedly seen going “through two packs of cigarettes, four Snickers bars, and two Cokes” in his stint at the PGA Championship. In fact, ‘the Wild Thing’ is known to go through 21 cigarettes and 12 diet cokes during a round of golf. Surely then, Mr. Brown has some big shoes to fill.

Relatability goes a long way. Daniel Brown’s act proved this right. His relatable albeit imperfection-riddled act made him relatable among fans for showing a real side to himself, unfiltered. Impressed fans seemed to have arrived at a consensus as they left comments, “New favorite golfer alert,” “I’m pulling for him now. Keeping it real,” and “dammit I gotta pull for the guy now.” Surely, this one move by Brown added a considerable amount of fans to his roster as he looks forward to the Claret Jug.

It remains to be seen whether Brown wins the Open in his rookie season, or not. What we surely know is that he has won many hearts.