Golf: Action Replay - The day Daly produced his longest drive

Golfing history was made on Sunday, 11 August, 1991 when unconsidered John Daly won one of golf's majors, the USPGA at Crooked Stick, Indiana. Daly, later to be nicknamed "Wild Thing" hit the ball for miles and lived his life at high speed. Tim Glover was there to see the birth of a golfing phenomenon. This was his report for the Independent...

JOHN DALY brought the great American dream to life when he won the USPGA Championship by three strokes yesterday. Daly scored 71 in the final round to finish on 276, 12 under par. "This," he said, "is the greatest story in the world."

He was exaggerating only slightly. The name of Daly, which was not among the original entries, will be inscribed on a handsome silver trophy alongside players like Gene Sarazen and Jack Nicklaus. When Daly looked at the trophy on the 18th green the first thing he noticed was the name of Nicklaus, perhaps not surprisingly since it appears five times. Daly, who had dabbled in baseball and American football, was converted to golf when he watched Nicklaus on television. "I love you, Jack," an emotional Daly said moments after his remarkable victory.

Daly won $230,000 (pounds 139,000), gained exemption to the Masters and could gain selection to the US Ryder Cup team. "My game plan was the same as it has been all week," Daly said. "I take out my driver, tee up the ball and then Squeaky says kill." Squeaky is the caddie, Jeff Medlen, who is normally employed by Nick Price.

Daly only got into the tournament at the last minute, when Price withdrew because his wife was giving birth. That was when he produced the longest drive of his career. He jumped into his car and travelled 600 miles to Indiana, arriving at an hotel at 1.30am.

Despite dropping two shots at the short 17th, he had a three-stroke cushion going to the18th. He did not hold back at the most notorious hole at Crooked Stick. Once again, he unleashed a huge drive, and as he strode down the middle of the fairway he repeatedly punched the air with his right arm. It was an acknowledgment to the spectators who had bought this fairytale, and it was a gesture he had been making throughout the tournament. When the tears inevitably came at the end Daly told the spectators: "I couldn't have done it without you."

Daly's extraordinary length off the tee on an extraordinarily long course had given him a distinct advantage. The 25-year-old rookie stood at 205 after three rounds, 11 under par, equalling the USPGA record for 54 holes. Going into the last round he led by three strokes from Kenny Knox and Craig Stadler.

Daly, who smokes a packet of cigarettes a day to keep his weight down, turned professional three years ago after competing in the US Open Championship on two occasions. He had never seen Crooked Stick but, according to his coach, Rick Ross, he immediately fell in love with the place. "He has had a relationship with it, just like that of a woman," Ross said. "He can only go wrong if he treats it bad."

Ross, who has been coaching Daly for eight years, had been watching the championship on television and, when his protege assumed the leadership, Ross drove to Indiana, getting to the course at 5.30am yesterday. He had been unable to communicate with Daly throughout the week because the golfer's telephone was always engaged.

Ross was prohibited from accompanying Daly on the final round yesterday by USPGA officials. Daly had his first experience with the same officials at the end of the third round on Saturday evening. After he had birdied the 18th hole, probably the most difficult on the course, to move to 11 under par, he was grilled over a potential rule discrepancy which occurred on the 11th green. He had a birdie four there but several television viewers telephoned officials to complain that a rule, concerning a line of the putt, had been broken by Medlen. The controversy centred on the fact that Medlen grounded the flagstick near the hole. Officials had to determine whether the stick was placed along the line of Daly's putt. If they had ruled that it was, they would have hit the leader over the head with a crooked stick. Fortunately common sense prevailed and Daly avoided a two-stroke penalty.

n Daly enjoyed great success, including a victory at The Open but his lifestyle was beginning to cause problems. He remains a major draw on the circuit and is a recovering alcoholic who has a permanent struggle with his weight.