Many people have shared their first impressions of Tiger Woods after meeting him for the first time. However, John Daly’s story might be the most interesting we’ve heard so far.
Daly recalls it as vividly as if it were yesterday. Tiger was 13 at the time, and he was competing in the National Insurance Youth Golf Classic in Texarkana. On the third day of the tournament, he was paired with Daly. It was the first time the two golfing legends had met each other in person.
When the interviewer inquired as to Daly’s first impression of the young Tiger, he responded quickly and candidly. John proclaimed, “Oh! he was unbelievable.”
JD explained that regardless of his age, Tiger was a force to be reckoned with and almost beat him at 13. He said, “The guy’s almost kicking my a**!” Daly continued the talk by saying the score he scored and what Tiger scored; he shot a 3-under and Tiger an even-par.
Daly broke it down even further saying that he hit the ball with his 5-iron on par 3, and the ball split into pieces. Tiger enjoyed it so much that he considers that shot to be one of his favorites from Daly.
After replacing the ball, the play continued and Tiger never stopped breathing down his neck. Daly won that match over Tiger. He said, “I only beat him by (2) shots that day, he was only like 13.”
Plenty of rumors have circulated over the years that would have you believe the two golf icons don’t get along. However, Daly cleared it once and for all. He was talking after the 2021 PNC Championship in which he and his son won the belt. Daly also acknowledged the golf cart incident when Tiger called out him for using one in a tournament.
Daly is a man of words, and when he tells a story, it becomes a fascinating story. And it was amusing to imagine how Tiger must have felt when John shattered the ball into pieces. Did you find his first encounter with Tiger to be particularly interesting?
Read the original article on Essentially Sports.
