John Daly Made $780K Outside a Hooters and the Power Brokers Behind Him Just Rewrote Golf Forever

John Daly parked his RV outside a Hooters in Augusta, Georgia, and made $780,000 in one week selling hats and signed golf balls.

That Hooters is gone now – bankrupt, bulldozed, reduced to a concrete slab less than a mile from Magnolia Lane.

And the story of who saved Daly's tradition – and why it matters for every golf fan in America – is something the mainstream sports media won't bother to tell you.

John Daly's Augusta Tradition Almost Died When Hooters Closed

For nearly three decades, John Daly was Augusta's unofficial welcome committee.

While Augusta National kept its gates locked tight – no phones, no signs, no commercial anything – Daly set up shop right down Washington Road and gave golf fans what the country club crowd never would.

Autographs.

Cigarettes.

Cold drinks.

A genuine American golf legend who didn't care about the rules.

Then Hooters went bankrupt – the chain filed for Chapter 11 last year after racking up $376 million in debt – and the Augusta location closed in July 2025.

By November, the bulldozers had finished the job.

Golf fans who'd made Daly's parking lot a Masters pilgrimage for 28 years suddenly had nowhere to go.

How Topgolf Saved John Daly's Masters Week Spot

This is where the story gets interesting.

WME Sports agents Sean Guerrero and Jordan Lewites – the same people who represent Jordan Spieth and golf influencer Paige Spiranac – saw an opening.

Guerrero helped connect Daly's team with Topgolf, the high-tech driving range company that has an Augusta location.

Daly gets his stage Thursday and Friday evenings of Masters week.

Topgolf gets the most authentic ambassador in the sport for two nights during the biggest golf week of the year.

"They re-homed him on Thursday and Friday out there," Guerrero told Fox Business. "Keeping that tradition alive. We can be a resource for these brands in so many different ways."

Meanwhile, at Top Dawg Tavern just down Washington Road, Daly will be there during the days – same distance from Augusta National as always, same hats, same autographs, same cigarettes.

The location changed.

The man didn't.

Why the 2026 Masters Is Golf's Biggest Business Week

Here's something the golf media forgets to mention every April.

Masters week isn't just a tournament.

It's the single biggest business conference in American golf – and the deals getting made this week will shape the sport for years.

"All of the decision makers are in one concentrated area," Guerrero said, "and everybody's obsessed with golf."

That means more than 500 corporate hospitality houses activated through WME's sister company On Location.

It means coaches like Cameron McCormick – Jordan Spieth's swing coach – booked for private speaking engagements every single night, sometimes for groups as small as six people.

It means brands from technology to retail flying into Georgia not to watch golf, but to write checks.

Lewites called it a kick-off for second-half 2026 and full-year 2027 deal discussions.

"It's everybody's big launch," he said.

"Everybody's thinking about golf," Guerrero added. "And after the Masters hits, everybody's got the bug."

Why Golf Is Booming and What It Means for Fans

The industry's numbers back that up.

On-course participation hit 28 million players in 2024 – seven straight years of growth, and the largest single-year increase since Tiger Woods was at his peak.

Total golf participation, including off-course venues like Topgolf and simulators, reached 47 million Americans.

Golf spending in 2025 sat 37% above pre-pandemic levels – ahead of theme parks, ahead of boating, ahead of almost every other leisure category in the country.

That's the consumer base every brand in America wants access to – and Augusta is where the introductions happen.

Guerrero explained why golf commands that loyalty better than any other sport.

"Golf is unlike any other sport," he told Fox Business. "If you're a fan of golf, you play it and you consume its products. You can start at three and play until 93."

You don't say that about football fans.

You don't say that about basketball fans.

Golf is a lifestyle with a consumer base that spends money every week of the year – and John Daly understood that longer than any agent or tour executive ever did.

He knew the fans who make the Augusta pilgrimage every April don't want the polished, corporate version of the sport.

They want the man down the street with a cigarette and a $40 hat.

The Hooters is gone.

Daly is still there.

That's the whole story.

Sources:

• Scott Thompson, "How WME Sports agents are reshaping golf's business landscape at Augusta National," Fox Business, April 6, 2026.
• "John Daly will be in Augusta for the 2026 Masters after all," Golf.com, January 6, 2026.
• "'An ordinary guy': What's John Daly doing at the Hooters in Augusta?" ESPN, April 11, 2025.
• "Golf's State-of-Industry in 3 Minutes," National Golf Foundation, 2024.
• "Golf Industry Continues to Grow After Post-COVID Boom," Bank of America, 2025.
• "John Daly Finds New Home at Topgolf Augusta During Golf's Most Prestigious Event," Topgolf Press Release, March 11, 2026.