John Daly picks two-time major winner over Tiger Woods in bizarre golf Mount Rushmore

John Daly is a true golfing enigma.

From his iconic grip-it-and-rip-it style that delivered two major victories, to his annual Masters antics at a Hooters restaurant close to Augusta National, ‘Long John’ has never been one to follow the crowd.

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He proved that once again this week, by naming his Mount Rushmore of golf.

The practice of building a sporting Mt. Rushmore, for those unfamiliar, sees a person pick four greats to put on the iconic landmark in place of the four US presidents for which it is famous.

When it comes to golf, most would name Tiger Woods — widely regarded as the greatest of all-time — as their first choice.

But Daly is not like most.

John Daly names controversial Mt. Rushmore of golf

During an interview with Hard Rock Bet, the 59-year-old was asked for the four players he believes stand above the rest as the most iconic in the sport.

“My favourite was always (Jack) Nicklaus, Fuzzy Zoeller, (Tom) Watson, (Arnold) Palmer,” Daly said.

“Those were the four, that’s the best.

“They’ve been so great to me when I came on Tour.”

Daly choice, it seems, was rather personal. His Mt. Rushmore is rooted in more than records, and is perhaps instead about his own relationship with some of the greats.

Nicklaus, his first pick, certainly deserves a spot on the mountain.

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Considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time, the American won 117 professional tournaments across his storied career, including a record 18 major championships.

An inductee of the World Golf Hall of Fame, Nicklaus also became the youngest player to complete the career grand slam, aged 26 in 1966.

His record has since been topped by, you guessed it, Woods.

Still, Daly’s admiration for ‘The Golden Bear’ goes back to his own childhood.

“Meeting Jack I was nervous because I learned how to play golf from Jack Nicklaus,” Daly once said, recalling a famous Golf Digest instructional series from the 1970s, in which the icon appeared as a cartoon instructor, teaching the fundamentals.

“The 70’s Golf Lesson Tees that came out of Golf Digest — that’s how I learned how to play.

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“He was a cartoon character in Golf Digest back then, and I think a lot of kids learned from him that way.”

Watson and Palmer also earn their place on most mountains.

In the 1970s and 80s, Watson dominated with eight major wins.

Palmer, meanwhile, will forever be known as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport’s history, with seven majors and a legacy that may never be matched.

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Zoeller, who passed away last November, was a two-time major champion, who won the 1979 Masters in his first appearance.

One of those names, of course, would usually make way for Woods.

Daly’s omission, though, does not come from a place of disrespect.

What has John Daly said about Tiger Woods in the past?

In a separate interview with Hard Rock Bet two months ago, ‘Wild Thing’ spoke highly Tiger, and noted just how far they go back.

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“I’ve just always respected him. I was 21 when I first met him — he was 12,” Daly said, having previously revealed he hit the best shot Woods has ever seen.

“We were playing the Big Insurance Youth Classic at Texarkana Country Club, and he shot 72. I think I shot 69.

“For us, I think it was a Ben Hogan event back then… But I just knew this kid had something special. And we haven’t gone out to dinner all the time and all that, but we text a lot.

“I always ask him how his health is and how he’s doing. Hopefully we’ll see him on the Champions Tour a few times this coming year.

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“But if he could just get healthy, Tiger probably would have broken all of Jack’s records.”

Daly added he was in no doubt that Woods still has a few more wins in him.

The American star concluded: “He’s too good, and the thing about him — he only needs to be about 75 percent healthy to pretty much kick everybody’s a** out here.”

Woods has recently suggested that a return for this year’s Masters is ‘not off the table’.

If he does make a splash at Augusta once again, he could well earn a spot on Daly’s Mt. Rushmore one day.

For now, though, he will have to settle for being regarded as the greatest of all-time by almost everybody else.

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