John Daly has landed in hot soup multiple times during his career. Owing to his celebrity yet honest status, he has been reprimanded on a few counts. One such incident took place in the 2008 Australian Open when ‘The Wild Thing’ shattered a fan’s camera after the latter came too close to capturing his picture.

What happened at the 2008 Australian Open?

John Daly arrived to a hero’s welcome down under despite the rift surrounding the decision. Golf Australia’s decision to lure Daly as a marquee player didn’t sit well among critics. The two-time Major Championship winner did little to back his invitation either, shooting a disappointing 78 on the first day.

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However, the crowd got back on its feet during Daly’s final hole. Slicing his tee shot into the large gallery, the ball hit a fan and ricocheted under a bush. A gruffly-faced Daly walked through the fans for his second shot when a fan started clicking close-up pictures, which irked an already boiling Daly.

The fan in question was Mr. Brad Clegg, a resident of Sydney in Australia, who had brought along his $180 camera to capture the highlights of the day. After sticking the camera right up to Daly, the American snatched it and hurled it on the ground. If this wasn’t enough, Daly picked up the camera and smashed it on an adjacent tree trunk.

At this point, the camera was in pieces, but so was Daly’s temper. “If you want a new camera I’ll buy you one,” Daly growled to Clegg, who was in tatters.

Did Golf Australia condemn the action of John Daly?

Mr. Clegg admitted to having taken pictures on the course, which was against the rules. “I did see a sign as I walked in,” he said. “Daly walked up, I took a photo of him and he pegged it against a tree. Obviously, I was too close.”

Daly, on the other hand, was disturbed by the whole incident. “The camera was six inches from my face,” he said. “My eyes are still burning from the flash of the camera.”

“I feel it was very rude to put a camera that close to anybody in any situation.”

Reacting to the commotion, tournament director Trevor Herden said Golf Australia would not impose any sanction against their marquee player. “He was frustrated, and it’s an unfortunate incident,” he said. “It’s frustrating when a guy is in your face and you’re under the pump and you have just hit someone off the tee shot.”

Coming back to Daly’s performance, the 1991 PGA Championship winner shot a respectable 72 in the second round of the tournament but fell short of the cut. Despite the negative attention caused during the event, he was invited to the 2009 edition of the tournament, in which he finished tied at 40th position.