John Daly once admitted the big regret he now has about his golfing career

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John Daly will go down in golfing history as one of its most intriguing characters, having adopted a unique approach to the game.

Daly is banned from the Australian Open for life, having once experienced one of his many meltdowns at the event.

His remarkable story is still going at the age of 59, with Daly carding an 88 on the PGA Tour Champions not so long ago.

But underneath it all, Daly was clearly a very talented golfer in his prime, with two major championship wins on his honours list.

The American emerged victorious at the PGA Championship in 1991, before triumphing at The Open Championship in 1995.

John Daly once admitted a big regret about his golfing career

Daly boasts five PGA Tour wins overall from his roller-coaster career, having made almost 550 appearances.

But he did once admit a big regret amid the success, having told The Guardian in 2014: “I feel like through doing the right things in the last few years of my career, I haven’t had back from the game what I feel like I deserve.

“I was young and dumb back in the 90s but I had a lot of fun. I didn’t think it would end. I kick myself in the a– every day for not trying a little harder or working on my game a little harder. I wish I had this mentality in the 90s.

“The kids in golf nowadays are coming up very mature. They know what they want, they know what they are doing.

“I don’t think their practice schedule is that much different to what I had but there were plenty of times when I could have hit a few more balls earlier in tournament weeks, like I do now, to prepare myself a little better.”

How John Daly rated his level in 2014

Daly was, of course, famed for his huge driving distance in his prime, which was a key area behind his success.

In the 2004 PGA Tour season, when he clinched his last win at the Buick Invitational, he ranked third for driving distance.

Daly’s average figure of 306 yards was behind only the 314.4 and 312.6 of Hank Kuehne and Scott Hend respectively.

In 2014, however, he was struggling in a key area, explaining: “I just can’t seem to hit fairways right now. I am barely missing them, though.

“On a lot of these courses now if you miss them, you are just hacking it out. I’m close, I just have to hit more fairways.

“I feel like I am hitting it really decently and I’m not that far from playing great golf. I have been working hard enough at it.

“I think as we get older, we love the game even more. I feel like I still wouldn’t be pushing myself this hard; one if I couldn’t and two if I didn’t feel like I could still win.”

READ MORE: John Daly’s story of how he beat Tiger Woods by six shots despite playing while still being drunk

Notably, his big-hitting approach certainly wouldn’t be as big an advantage had he been taking on the current generation.

Aged just 21, Aldrich Potgieter leads the way for driving distance on the PGA Tour this season with a figure of 324.8 yards.

Rory McIlroy occupies second place on the list on 323, while Daly’s 2004 total of 306 would place him in a tie for 61st.