“Merry Christmas from old saint John” – John Daly becomes Santa Claus for Hooters’ Christmas

John Daly has been called a number of things over the years, but one could never call him a Christmas hater. Christmas is probably the most popular holiday, but there are people who seem to like it a lot more than others and the pro golfer seems to be one of them.

The official Hooters Instagram page shared an image of Daly with a waitress, both in the Christmas getup. The waitress is wearing an elf costume and Daly is dressed up as Santa Claus himself.

They captioned the post:

"Merry Christmas from Old Saint John and your favorite Hooters elves."

The fact that Hooters is posting with John Daly shouldn't come as a surprise. He is the perfect golfer to pair with the restaurant. His personality matches, so the image is very fitting.

Daly has also always been a bit of a jolly figure on the PGA Tour. He's never been a top-flight golfer, only ever having made it just barely into the top 25 on the OWGR.

Still, he's had fun and is still golfing over three decades after his debut in the 1980s. He enjoys life and he plays the game to have fun. Plus, the big white beard and heavyset build make him a perfect Santa.

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John Daly had knee surgery

John Daly recently struggled to walk at the PNC Championship. He had to take a cart to and from holes, which he believed to be a serious disadvantage. He was unable to make the walk, so that was his only option.

John Daly and his son at the PNC Championship

He waited so long to have the surgery because he wanted to team up with his son to defend their title in the event. They topped Tiger Woods and Charlie Woods by a single stroke the last time out.

Daly said before the event:

“It’s tough when you don’t have a follow-through. I’m basically just trying to stay on one leg. But the adrenaline of playing with my son will get me through.”

He added sympathy for Tiger Woods:

“It’s no fun when you can’t walk and can’t turn and be able to get out and practice enough and complete, which I can’t do right now really. I pray for Tiger. I hope his leg holds up and gets fixed because we need him on the Tour. For me, I’ve had probably more surgeries probably than Tiger. They just keep adding up over the last five years. But I get this metal put in this knee, hell, I got more metal than the Bionic Man does.”

Woods has had several maladies and several surgeries to repair them. He's not the same player he once was at age 46, but the fact that he is still playing at all after what he's gone through is nothing short of miraculous.

Daly hasn't had the same struggles, but can suddenly relate after finally getting the knee surgery he needed last week. He'll spend time recovering and with his family for the holidays and be back on the green in no time.