Famous Drunk PGA Champ Named Golf Ambassador, Joining Legion Of Boring Greats Who Unlike Him Played Sober

John Daly once said the only way he meets his daily water-intake requirement is the ice in his whiskey.

Daly has two majors under his belt, the thing that holds up his colorful flower-bedecked pants while he’s playing.

Or drinking.

To see John Daly named Ambassador of Golf means America doesn’t necessarily lack a sense of humor.

The Kaulig Companies Championship and Northern Ohio Golf Charities Foundation will honor Daly this summer as the 2026 recipient of the award presented by Northern Ohio Golf Charities & Foundation, PGA Tour Champions announced on March 4.

He’ll be joining a list of notable people, including three former U.S. presidents, who have promoted the game of golf.

Daly, 59, is among the most recognizable figures in golf.

He earned an improbable victory at the 1991 PGA Championship and later added the Open Championship in 1995 at St. Andrews.

“He’s known for flair and powerful drives – including one over a highway in Akron,” says the Akron Beacon Journal.

Daly has claimed that he once beat Tiger Woods in a golf round while still drunk from the night before, and was even sipping whiskey during the round.

The story, which Daly has recounted in various interviews including on the Tucker Carlson podcast and to the Golf Channel and Dan Patrick Show, took place in 1994 at a “roundtable” event at Sherwood Country Club.

The night before Daly had been drinking heavily for hours with others, while Woods, then a rising star, repeatedly declined invitations to join, opting instead to practice and work out in the gym.

The next morning, Daly arrived at the first tee still drunk and disheveled. He told his caddie bring him a Jack Daniel’s and Coke or Crown Royal and Coke to drink on the course, a move known as “hair of the dog.”

Despite his condition, Daly claims he shot a 65, while Woods shot a 71.

Woods reportedly “shook his head all day” at Daly’s performance.

Daly attributes the win to raw talent, suggesting that while Woods was a tireless worker, he possessed a natural skill that allowed for such an unconventional approach.

He has claimed that this was one of only two times he has ever consumed alcohol during a round on the PGA Tour.