John Daly called unlikely golf cult hero a 'legend' after spotting hidden habit

John Daly named emerging golf cult hero Dan Brown a 'legend' after seeing him smoke at The Open in Troon, Scotland last month.

Brown had been a relatively unknown figure this time last month, but went on to become well-known around the world after he led at The Open before going on to finish within the top 10 - entering the tournament as the 272nd-ranked golfer. Brown shot an incredible bogey-free 65 in the first round while continuing to play well throughout the tournament - earning the biggest pay package of his career by far when taking home close to $300,000.

Seeing him around the course and at previous events, former Open winner John Daly had told friends that he was a fan of Brown's - particularly after witnessing him smoking a cigarette.

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Brown told Bunkered.co.uk: "Someone came to me in the Players Lounge at the Open and said they spoke to John Daly and he called me a bit of a legend because I smoke... I’ve always tried to keep that quiet but I got caught a couple of times at the Open on camera and a lot of people were watching.

"I’ve played on it a bit because people probably see me as being quite normal and not your usual professional athlete. It seems weird to me to call myself a professional athlete. A lot of people have taken a liking to it but I’m probably going to go back to hiding it.

"I’ve smoked since I was 20-years-old. It’s never been a massive problem. It’s only just been a golf course thing. When I get home I’ll never have one. It’s even surprising to me that I haven’t become properly addicted. It looks that way on a golf course because I’ll probably have a few!"

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A unique figure in the sport, Daly is regularly spotted sparking up a cigarette or a cigar around the course - doing so while wearing bright colored pants and his jet blonde hair.

While admittedly not being the character that Daly is, Brown also admitted that he doesn't smoke to the same level - while only doing so when he plays golf.

“It’s more just a habit,” he explained. “If I wanted to quit I could quite easily quit. It’s an enjoyable thing for me to do when I’m on the course. If there’s ever a delay on the tee box I’ll always have one.”