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John Daly and His Son, Arkansas Golfer John Daly II, Sign First Father-Son NIL Deal With Hooters

The Hooters restaurant chain recently announced a NIL partnership with eccentric golf personality John Daly and his college-aged son, John Daly II. The younger Daly currently plays golf at Arkansas University, where his father also played from 1984 to 1987 before turning pro. According to Forbes, the partnership is Hooters’ first foray into the world of individual name-image-likeness marketing deals.

John Daly II is finishing up his freshman season as a Razorback. As a Florida junior golfer, Daly II ranked top three in the state according to AJGA rankings. He turned in seven AJGA top-10 finishes from September 2020 to July 2021 and qualified as a Rolex Junior All-American in 2020.

The Daly men recently teamed up for the 2021 PNC Challenge for a couple of rounds. They would go on to win the event with a score of 27-under par across 36 holes of play.

The elder Daly made a splash in the early 1990s as a big-hitting, cigarette-smoking every-man on the PGA Tour. His bright blonde mullet swayed side to side as Daly walked the fairways of Crooked Stick en route to an improbable PGA Championship win in 1991. Four years later, Daly proved himself more than a one-hit-wonder by winning the 1995 Open Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews.

Daly has since created a cottage industry of personal appearances and merchandise dedicated to his homegrown love of golf and life. Always considered a little rough around the edges, he frequently talks about drinking, smoking, and enjoying the company of beautiful women; so it’s no surprise that Hooters chose Daly and his son as NIL partners. Daly II grew up in Clearwater, Florida, and attended renowned prep school Montverde Academy.

John Daly, Sr., will represent Hooters on the PGA Champions Tour, where he plays with a chronic and interesting injury

While his son makes his way as a college golfer, the elder Daly continues competing on the PGA Champions Tour. Ahead of the Hoag Classic at Newport Beach Country Club in early March, Daly explained to media members how he plays with a chronically separated shoulder.

After injuring his shoulder in 2007, Daly visited famous sports physician, Dr. James Andrews, for a consultation. Andrews informed Daly that surgery would necessitate him to play with a shorter swing, which would force him to adjust his mechanics after decades playing with the same swing.

Daly decided to forego the surgery and play through the pain in order to keep the old swing. He said he sacrificed about 30 yards of power because of the issue; but he did develop a nice little left-to-right cut, he quipped.

“Sometimes it will pop back into place, and I have to pop it back out,” Daly said of the shoulder. “I went from a 30-yard draw flighting it 320, to a 10-yard cut. Now I flight it about only 290, but at least Dr. Andrews said I could keep my swing.

“It’s going to hurt when it gets cold, but I’ve had everything else, operations on both feet, the back. That’s what happens when you get old.”