Why John Daly’s Miracle 1991 PGA Championship Lives on Through One Family

ESPN Daily

ESPN

Sports

4.6 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2021

⏱️ 32 minutes

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Summary

When an unknown 25-year-old named John Daly showed up at the 1991 PGA Championship literally the night before -- as the ninth alternate -- he pulled off the biggest upset in golf history and became an instant icon, 30 years ago this August. Daly’s style (namely his mullet), and his behavior (namely chain smoking and drinking too much) set him apart from the buttoned up country club crowd. But his massive drives and bad boy persona made him a fan favorite, and his win at the 1991 PGA Championship in Carmel, Indiana made him a legend in golf history. What’s less well known, but no less significant, is the story of another man who attended that tournament. During the first round, Tom Weaver, a spectator and father of two, was struck in the chest by lightning, and died at the scene. ESPN’s Bob Harig shares the story of Tom Weaver, and the gift Daly sent his family afterwards, that lives on to this day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This won't take long. All being equal, I hope he makes it really do. End on a good
0:09.8	nobody. Get it. In 91, I was nobody, to be honest with you.
0:21.2	Nobody knew who John Daly was.
0:23.5	I can honestly say my life changing four days, and that doesn't happen to too many people.
0:29.1	It's a miracle.
0:33.0	It has now been 30 years since one of the biggest upsets in sports history when an unknown 25-year-old named John Daly showed up at the 1991 PGA Championship, literally the night before, as the ninth alternate, and became an instant icon.
0:52.7	Today, as this year's PGA championship tees off tomorrow,
0:57.4	we look back at Daly's Miracle Victory,
1:00.0	a moment whose ultimate legacy is not what happened on the golf course
1:04.0	or in front of cameras,
1:05.8	but something that's endured more quietly and lives on to this very day.
1:13.2	I'm Pablo Torre. It's Wednesday, May 19th.
1:16.7	This is ESPN Daily, presented by UKJ.
1:21.3	Our purpose is people.
1:31.6	ESPN and 30 for 30 podcasts present girl v horse.
1:32.9	I've been a runner my whole life.
1:35.0	I've survived in New York City Marathon.
1:39.1	But a few years ago, my life went off script in a way that I didn't see coming.
1:41.4	I was diagnosed with epilepsy.
1:44.0	You just toppled over head first. Because of that, I decided to do something possibly absurd, try and outrun a horse.
1:49.8	50 miles against a horse.
1:51.5	I got this.
	...

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