"His lies kind of destroyed my life" - John Daly once had a scary altercation with his legendary golf coach

John Daly once claimed his former swing coach Butch Harmon destroyed his life with lies about his drinking habit. The two-time major champion has long been a headline waiting to happen. One of the most intense sagas of his career was a back-and-forth he had with famous instructor Butch Harmon, back in 2008.

After a poor 2007 season, Daly lost his PGA Tour card amid reports of excessive gambling and drinking. After March of 2008, Harmon criticized Daly and essentially accused him of drinking to access and not having the right priorities to maintain success on the PGA Tour. This came after reports of Daly drinking in a hospitality tent during a PGA Tour event, which Daly denied. Harmon claimed via the Guardian,

"You don't see guys who are any good doing that. 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 drunk."

Daly eventually responded to Harmon's comments, saying they were untrue and that he was not drinking in a hospitality tent during a delay. Daly said,

"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... But then the stories come out that I was drinking in the tent, drunk and stuff on the Thursday, and it's a joke... Butch, I guess, told The Golf Channel that I'm just a drunk and it was ridiculous [that] coach Gruden caddied for me."

Daly also added he doesn't have a drinking problem and that there's nothing about his lifestyle that should put him under such strong scrutiny. He added,

"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. Real men just don't do that. My lifestyle has been great. I'm eating too much, but I'm not drinking hardly at all and I never go out."

John Daly was suspended by the PGA Tour in December of 2008 after an incident involving a law enforcement officer. After his suspension, he played some events on the European Tour.

In 2014, Daly won the Beko Classic, a non-PGA Tour event but his first professional win since the 2004 Buick Invitational.

How has John Daly been playing in recent years?

John Daly at the PNC Championship 2024 (via Getty)

John Daly, 58, is currently part of the PGA Tour Champions. He has recorded one Champions Tour win in his career, which came in the Insperity Invitational at The Woodlands in Texas in 2017. Daly won by one shot over Tommy Armour III and Kenny Perry.

Daly and his son, John Daly II, won the 2021 PNC Championship, two shots ahead of Tiger Woods and his son Charlie. The PNC event is held annually at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, where major winners participate with their family members.

In 2024, Daly played a full schedule on the Champions Tour, though he didn't contend in any events. His best finish came in June at the American Family Insurance Championship where he finished T22.

John Daly also played in the PGA Championship and Open Championship in 2024 due to his exemptions having won the two tournaments in the past. He withdrew from both of them after opening rounds of 82.

On his return to 2025 PGA Tour Champions, Daly is currently playing this weekend at the Hoag Classic in Newport Beach, California.