One half of top-selling country duo Brooks & Dunn talks drinking, John Daly and delivering big at Augusta National.
You chose a gin and tonic today, which I’m told is your favorite golf-course beverage.
It is. G&Ts are a good, refreshing drink. They’re lighthearted, with a little lime in there.
You’re one half of the biggest-selling country duo ever, Brooks & Dunn. How often are you recognized?
With a ballcap on it’s not much of a problem.
Really?
Yeah. If you’re not in your cowboy hat and boots and whatever, people just don’t expect you to be cowboy Kix.
I’m catching up with you at a charity outing benefiting the Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Do you get a lot of invitations to these events?
I’ve played in a lot of cool stuff over the years. My first was a skins game against Arnold Palmer, John Daly, and Natalie Gulbis. Believe it or not, I actually won.
No way!
Yeah, and of course, John and I had stayed up all night banging on guitars. I was so mad at myself the next morning. I’m like, “You don’t get to play with Arnold Palmer, you’re playing against Arnold Palmer!” But somewhere in my inebriation I found a swing and played pretty good that day.
Any other fun Daly stories?
I can remember one thing I can tell you. Natalie [Gulbis] would set up this little box that had AstroTurf on it, and she would do these classes for the gallery before we got started every morning. One day, they had a local goalie set up with a net, and Natalie’s hitting 7-irons at this guy. And he’s diving and they’re clapping, and John and I are sitting there, and John’s like, “Give me a 2-iron. Get out of the way.” And he starts walking out there barefoot — he’s already given his shoes away, of course. And the crowd goes crazy. And he stripes a 2-iron about that high off the ground — I think the ball is still going. And this poor goalie is face down in the mud. It goes right over his head at about a thousand miles an hour. [Laughs]. I had a lot of great times with John, and he’s still a good friend.
Is there anything left on your golf bucket list?
I just want to keep playing. I actually made a hole-in-one at Augusta.
I have to hear this story.
It was on the [short] course. I was playing with [former MLB pitcher] Rick Sutcliffe and [beer magnate and Augusta National member] Pete Coors. Pete was a nervous wreck with me and Sut on campus — we broke every rule you could break. But we were holding some bets over after our round, and Pete goes, “Let’s go settle this up on the little course.” On No. 5, I knew it was on the green, but the green is elevated. So we go walking up there — no ball. Then Pete runs up, looks in the hole, and gives the touchdown signal. My caddie fell flat on his back. He said, “You said it, Mr. Coors, you said it!” And I’m like, “What? Said what?” And [Coors] goes, “Well, I told him if anybody in our group made a hole in one, all the caddies would get their own keg of beer.” So of course I hung out at the caddie shack for the rest of the time. I was a big hero!
