In the words of Outkick: “In what will inevitably be the greatest sports movie ever…one of the greatest athletes to grace the planet, Mr. John Daly, is finally getting his own movie.”
Exaggerations aside, this movie has the makings to be awesome. John Daly is a legend in his own right, winning multiple majors with one of the biggest personalities the world of professional golf has ever known. It is for the latter reason that Daly the person is awesome and the reason I am holding out Hollywood might get something right.
Heck, Daly even has his own meme template:
Outkick reported on the recent news that Jonah Hill, the formerly chubby and dead-panned humor actor would be portraying the larger-than-life, chain-smoking, soda-guzzling Daly:
It’s tough to think of a more perfect fit than Jonah Hill to play John Daly.
While Hill has lost a ton of weight since his Superbad days, he still has the short, stocky build that mirrors Daly. Hill also possesses that sarcasm, and smart-ass delivery that will be key for portraying Daly on the big screen.
He even recently grew out the luscious, blonde locks and will look awesome rocking a Daly-inspired mullet like he donned during his heyday on Tour.
Hill will look natural with a cigarette in his mouth and a Diet Coke in his hand throughout the entire film.
No doubt, the movie will get into Daly’s exuberant, albeit troubled past. After being suspended from the tour briefly in 1993 for leaving the course mid-round and entering rehab, he subsequently returned to the PGA Tour and picked up where he left off. After his first win since being back, he claimed it was the first time he had done so sober.
Daly has also dabbled in music, providing back-up vocals for Kid Rock and releasing two of his own albums.
Wherever this movie takes us, I’m in. There’s the raw power and natural talent that led Daly to unmatched highs. Earning the nickname “Long John,” Daly’s physical stature and prowess with the driver enabled him to become the first pro to ever average more than 300 yards off the tee for an entire season in the 1990s, and was the only player to earn that distinction until the mid-2000s.
There’s also the redemption arc, easily seen in his substance abuse, sobriety, and return to prominence by winning the PGA Tour’s Comeback Player of the Year award in 2004.
More than anything else, though, there is just the unmatched panache and style of Daly. His dress, his attitude, and his style made him stand out in a sport known for class and etiquette (not to say that’s a bad thing, and not to say he doesn’t possess those traits either).
There’s also something to like about a modern athlete being unabashedly pro-Trump. The former president famously hosted both Daly and pal Kid Rock at the third and final presidential debate between him and Joe Biden, to which Daly showed up decked out in red, white, and blue.
I don’t get excited about much Hollywood news these days, but if they get this movie right it will be fantastic.
This story syndicated with permission from The Blue State Conservative