How far did John Daly drive the golf ball in his prime? The ‘wild thing’s’ driving prowess explored

Ever since John Daly came into action in the early 1990s, he made his name into new hits. The American golfer is best known for hitting unbelievably lengthy shots on the golf course. During the initial days of his career, he topped the driving distance statistics on the PGA Tour.

Daly became the first man in 1997 to average over 300 yards on the PGA Tour in a season. He touched the mark again in 1999. No golfer until 2003 could break his record. He was one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour at the peak of his career.

His best driving average was 314.3 yards, which he recorded in 2003. From 1991 to 2012, his average distance was around 301.3 yards.

John Daly still can hit the ball at a very far distance. His average driving distance in 2023 is recorded to be around 281 yards. For the last six years, he has managed to score above 290 yards while playing on the PGA Tour Champions.

At the 1992 B.C. Open, he hit one of the longest drives on the PGA Tour, which measured around 414 yards. His other longest drives were recorded at the 1997 Mercedes Championships when he hit a drive that measured around 498 yards and then at the 2002 Buick Classic when he hit a shot measured 388 yards.

Daly has been one of the most successful golfers on the PGA Tour. Having turned professional in 1987, he has won 19 events in his career and two majors. He emerged victorious on five PGA Tour events and three on the European tour.

Who has the longest drive on the PGA Tour 2023?

Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy has the longest drive on the PGA Tour in 2023. He topped the average driving distance list of the PGA Tour for the 2022-23 season with an average of 326.3 yards. He finished five yards ahead of Brandon Matthews, who settled second on the list with an average distance of 321.2 yards.

Here is a list of the golfers with the longest driving distance on the PGA Tour in 2023:

1 Rory McIlroy 326.3
2 Brandon Matthews 321.2
3 Cameron Young 316.9
4 Cameron Champ 316.1
5 Matti Schmid 315.8
6 Byeong Hun An 315.6
7 Trevor Cone 315.1
8 Jon Rahm 314.0
9 Gary Woodland 313.8
10 Wyndham Clark 313.5
10 Kyle Westmoreland 313.5
12 Adam Scott 313.4
13 Keith Mitchell 312.9
14 Vincent Norrman 312.7
15 Joseph Bramlett 312.4
16 Trey Mullinax 311.8
17 Sam Burns 311.4
18 Luke List 311.0
19 Davis Thompson 310.7
20 Brent Grant 310.6
21 MJ Daffue 310.5
21 Will Gordon 310.5
21 Augusto Núñez 310.5
24 Cam Davis 310.3
24 Scottie Scheffler 310.3