John Daly Heads To Hooters And Casino After PGA First Round

The former PGA champion celebrated an encouraging first round in unique style

John Daly at a Hooters restaurant and casino in Tulsa
(Image credit: Instagram: @pga_johndaly)

John Daly made a surprisingly promising start to the 2022 PGA Championship and even sat atop the leaderboard for a spell after a bright opening to his first round at Southern Hills. In the end, he would settle for a two-over 72 and marked the occasion in typical Daly style by enjoying a spot of dinner at Hooters, before heading to a nearby casino to try his luck on the slot machines. 

While most would've been focusing on their recovery ahead of the gruelling weather set to sweep the Oklahoma area for the second round, the 56-year-old took the opportunity to visit one of the chain's Tulsa venues, posting a picture of his trip on Instagram.

Daly and his son, John Daly II, are both sponsored by the company, meaning it was likely a visit that didn't hit the wallet too hard. And one thing is for sure, you can bet the wings weren't washed down with water. Ahead of the year's second men's Major, Tiger Woods recalled a story involving 'Big John' that dates back to the last time Southern Hills hosted the PGA Championship in scorching conditions in 2007.

"I remember playing behind JD the first day, which was awesome," Tiger said. "It was, what, 109 [degrees] I think that first day and I asked JD how many waters he drank out there. He says, 'No, I had 13 Diet Cokes'."

After filling up on wings and whatever else, Daly also found the time to get his gambling fix, with an eagle-eyed fan spotting the man himself enjoying the slot machines at a local casino. It's hardly a subtle look Daly is sporting, so we're guessing he won't mind being outed. 

Daly gets his second round underway at 12.25pm local time (6.25pm UK time) and forms part of a group of past champions that includes Y.E. Yang and Shaun Micheel. The two-time Major winner won the PGA Championship in 1991 but hasn't made the weekend since a T18 finish in 2012.

Andrew Wright
Freelance News Writer

A lifelong golf fan, Andy graduated in 2019 with a degree in Sports Journalism and got his first role in the industry as the Instruction Editor for National Club Golfer. From there, he decided to go freelance and now covers a variety of topics for Golf Monthly. 

Andy took up the game at the age of seven and even harboured ambitions of a career in the professional ranks for a spell. That didn’t pan out, but he still enjoys his weekend golf at Royal Troon and holds a scratch handicap. As a side note, he's made five holes-in-one and could quite possibly be Retief Goosen’s biggest fan.

As well as the above, some of Andy's work has featured on websites such as goal.com, dailyrecord.co.uk, and theopen.com.

What's in Andy's bag?

Driver: Callaway Mavrik Sub-Zero (9°)

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (15°)

Driving iron: Titleist U500 (17°)

Irons: Mizuno mp32 (4-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM9 (50°, 54° and 58°)

Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron Newport 2.5

Ball: TaylorMade TP5x