Who is John Daly?
I think he's a character in that book, Atlas the Golfer or something.
Now, mostly a former PGA golfer who's encountered some difficulties during a successful, though inconsistent career. He's now long past his prime, though he still dabbles on the senior tour.
He made his claim to fame by being a backup invitee to the 1991 PGA Championship. I believe there was a back story where upon hearing that he was picked as an alternate player, drove his car from (maybe Arkansas) to wherever the tournament was being held.
John Daly was one of the original "bomb and gouge" hitters. "Bomb and gouge" refers to being such a long driver of the ball, all he typically had left was a wedge to the green. He was playing Tiger Woods-styled golf long before Tiger.
In any case, Daly won the PGA Championship in 1991, then backed that up with another major championship in 1995, winning the British Open.
Unfortunately over the years, Daly battled alcohol and had at least a couple unsuccessful marriages. I think he currently plays on the Champions' Tour (senior tour), and trying to keep his life in order.
I think Daly is as humble as he can be, but has some demons that he fights. He sounds happy and honored to have played with the President, and I think that's a good thing.
He could hit it a long, long way. I remember once he had 160 yards to the green and used a pitching wedge! And I think the ball hit the green and bounced over. Incredible.