John Daly is one of the most colorful, controversial and popular figures in golf history.
Daly's "grip it and rip it" life is the subject of a new 30 for 30 documentary, "Hit it Hard," which is set to debut Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
It's hard not to wonder what Daly could have accomplished on the course if he hadn't had so many problems off it. In this week's edition of Four-Ball, our panel explores Daly's impact on the sport.
1. Do you consider Daly an overachiever or underachiever?
SportsCenter anchor Jonathan Coachman: Unfortunately, I have to say underachiever. Daly possibly has the most natural talent of any player in the history of the sport; there is no way he could have ever won those huge tournaments without that immense talent. But it's frustrating to see someone not maximize his talent over the past 20 years. If he would have taken things more seriously, who knows how many majors or tournaments he could have won.
ESPN.com senior golf writer Bob Harig: He is a huge underachiever. Get past all the drama, and Daly was an incredibly skilled player who could not only drive it a long way, but had a surprisingly good short game. Winning two majors as he did showed his talent, but it's remarkable to think that Daly has nearly as many missed cuts and withdrawals (249) in his PGA Tour career as he has made cuts (273). Maybe Daly never would have been a prolific winner, but he had the skills to accomplish more.
ESPN.com senior golf editor Kevin Maguire: An overachiever. Considering the inner demons Daly had to overcome in his life, albeit many of them self-inflicted, most people would not have had the wherewithal to reach such a high level in sports -- or in life. Winning one major championship can sometimes be a fluke. Winning two solidifies your place in golf history.
ESPN.com senior golf writer Jason Sobel: Sorry, but underachievers don't win multiple major championships. I understand the insinuation -- Daly had so much talent that if he played as hard on the course as he did off of it, he could've achieved so much more. Perhaps, but that notion does a disservice to everything he did accomplish. In his prime, Daly was never the game's most consistent player, but you can bet plenty of his peers would love to own his resume. It's not one of an underachiever.
2. Which major win was more surprising, the 1991 PGA Championship or 1995 Open Championship?
Coachman: No one knew who Daly was in 1991 -- he came out of nowhere as an alternate to pull off possibly the biggest upset in the history of golf. We knew Daly when he won his second major, which was a surprise, but not a monumental surprise. I don't know if we will ever see something like 1991 again. Just awesome.
Harig: The '91 PGA was more surprising, simply given the circumstances behind getting into the field. Few knew who John Daly was when he had to drive overnight to Crooked Stick as an alternate and only got into the field because numerous things occurred -- including Nick Price withdrawing due to the birth of a child. To then go on and win a major championship, without a practice round, is about as farfetched as possible, and yet Daly did it.
Maguire: The '91 PGA, but only by the slimmest of margins. Daly's 1995 win at St. Andrews certainly came out of nowhere, but he had at least proved that when his game was on, he could beat the best in the world. Absolutely no one saw that victory as the ninth alternate at Crooked Stick in 1991 coming, and if someone says otherwise, it's pure fiction.
Sobel: Easily the first one. As a PGA Tour rookie, Daly was the tournament's ninth alternate, somehow got into the field and won it as a total unknown. If you wrote a movie script like this, it would be dismissed as too unbelievable.
3. What do you remember most about John Daly's career so far?
Coachman: When I think about Daly, his golf doesn't even come into my mind. It's his partying, his hustle and continuing to bounce back. I think he is an all-time good dude with a good heart, and it's nice to see he has pulled it together for the Champions Tour. Hopefully, his golf can take center stage this time.
Harig: It is unfortunate that there was so much off-course drama involving ex-wives, drinking, rehab and weight gain/loss, not to mention his high-profile withdrawals and high scores in various tournaments. But what is most memorable is the way he attracted people to the game with the way he hit the ball off the tee. His length was prodigious, and he routinely hit drives more than 300 yards when that was quite uncommon.
Maguire: The way fans loved him (and still do). He would draw some of the largest galleries at a tournament even when people had no idea what would happen inside the ropes. Often that was the appeal. Hardcore and non-hardcore golf fans alike were drawn to the mystery surrounding Daly. Sure, the everyman aspect of his story made things interesting, but no one crushed the ball the way Daly did back in the early 1990s.
Sobel: I think I'll always most remember the swing itself. Way past parallel, then smoothly through the ball, compressing it into orbit. No golfer has ever combined Daly's strength, power and flexibility. Yes, the man was -- and still is -- flexible and has always owned a deft touch around the greens. Sure, others might first recall the rags-to-riches (and back and forth) tale or the hard-living lifestyle, but it's that swing which will forever be ingrained in my memory.
4. Fact or Fiction: John Daly will win on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.
Coachman: Fiction. Daly can finish top 10, but I'm skeptical on whether or not he can put three or four rounds together in the same week. It has been so long since he's been in the winner's circle, and when it has been this long, it's too high of a mountain to climb.
Harig: Fact. The results so far do not back it up, as he has yet to post a single top-10 finish in 14 starts. But Daly has battled injuries and lack of play on the PGA Tour. He's going to need some time, but it will happen.
Maguire: Fiction. Not being able to get consistent tournament starts for the past several years didn't help his transition to the over-50 circuit this year. Hopefully I'm wrong on this, but I just can't see him cashing that winner's check again.
Sobel: Fact. Here is a partial list of winners on the senior tour this year: Doug Garwood, Carlos Franco, Gene Sauers and Duffy Waldorf. No offense toward any of those champions, but if they can do it, so can Daly.