ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — John Daly had an eclectic mix of logos on his gray pullover in the first round of the Open Championship: Trump on his right sleeve, Ohio-based Wentz Financial Group on his right chest, California-based Mark Christopher Auto Center on his left chest.
There was one other emblem, too, emblazoned just above the auto center logo: that of the Masters Tournament.
Yes, that Masters Tournament.
This was curious for a couple of reasons: (1) Daly hasn’t played in a Masters since 2006; he does travel to Augusta during Masters week, but only to hawk merchandise in the Hooters parking lot on Washington Road, and (2) Augusta National, you might have heard, isn’t big on endorsement deals.
So, what gives? There’s a simple explanation.
The John Daly and Bryson DeChambeau Show was a blast to watch (pun intended)
“I bought this at Augusta,” Daly told GOLF.com after his opening 73 on the Old Course. “I don’t have a gray one, so I brought it over here with me.”
A gray top for the Old Grey Toon.
Daly said Sun Mountain, the golf apparel and bag manufacturer, typically provides him with his outerwear, but his latest order hadn’t arrived before he left for Scotland.
“They’re going to make me some more,” he said. “I’m just waiting on it.”
In the meantime, his Masters-themed pullover — albeit at the Open Championship — has been serving as a solid substitute.
“I like it,” he said with a laugh. “It’s comfortable.”
Daly isn’t the first major winner to wear a Masters-branded logo in competition. At the first LIV Golf event, in London, last month, Phil Mickelson wore a black Masters vest on the 1st tee, before a couple of holes later swapping it out for a non-logoed version.
Mickelson’s fashion statement was presumed to be some sort of non-verbal protest against the PGA Tour.
And Daly’s? He was just trying to stay warm.