He is the golfer who ended John Daly’s eight-year run as the longest driver but never won on the PGA Tour

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Between 1995 and 2002, no one other than John Daly ended the year at the top of the driving distance standings on the PGA Tour.

John Daly certainly played his part in changing the game around the turn of the century. One of the reasons the two-time major champion attracted so many fans was the distances he could reach with a driver in his hand.

Wild Thing averaged 306.8 yards off the tee during the 2002 season. That was a fraction away from being 10 yards further than anyone else on the PGA Tour.

In 2003, however, one player went on to average more than 321 yards off the tee – more than seven yards more than Daly.

Remarkably, the player who achieved that never actually won on the PGA Tour during his career.

The player who ended John Daly’s run as the PGA Tour’s longest hitter

Hank Kuehne finished second in two PGA Tour events during his career.

One of those runner-up finishes came at the event now known as the Texas Children’s Houston Open, with Kuehne one of three players who were four shots off Fred Couples when he won in 2003.

He would play in 133 PGA Tour events across his career, making the cut 57 times. His most recent round at the highest level came at the 2013 Byron Nelson Championship as he posted an 80 to miss the cut.

Incredibly, Kuehne was down in 187th for driving accuracy during the season he led the PGA Tour in driving distance.

How Hank Kuehne secured his spot in Bay Hill folklore

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the power he could generate, Kuehne did struggle with a back injury that meant that he did not play on the PGA Tour for around five years.

Nevertheless, he secured a place in golfing folklore when he managed to drive the green on the par five sixth hole at Bay Hill in a practice round ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational one year.

Kuehne was given three attempts by playing partner Andy Bean, but he only needed two to find the putting surface.

Kuehne would remain the longest hitter for the 2004 season. But Scott Hend would take that title in 2005 before Bubba Watson began to dominate the standings from 2006.