On Tuesday morning, the music world woke up to the tragic news that country music icon Toby Keith had passed away at the age of 62 following a long battle with stomach cancer.
The whiskey-voiced songwriter behind smash hits like “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” and “Red Solo Cup” was anti-establishment to his core, founding his own label when he felt the Nashville scene wouldn’t take him seriously and rattling spurs with his uncensored political opinions. In many ways he was to country music what John Daly is to golf.
For that reason, he and Daly shared a special kinship and on Tuesday the two-time major champ took to X to wish his old buddy one final farewell. Take it away, John.
My heart is truly broken… one of my best friends gone by this disease! RIP Big Dawg….. #fuckcancer https://t.co/itiPZZZC9X
— John Daly (@PGA_JohnDaly) February 6, 2024
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If the pair could do it all over again, you have to wonder if they would trade places. Keith loved golf, penning various odes to the game, most lamenting his “sh*tty” skills, while Daly has always fancied himself a troubadour, known to belt out a rendition of “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” at a moment’s notice. That shared fascination with the other’s craft led to a friendship that lasted years, and although they’ve bombed their last drive together (at least for now) there is some good news:
Upstairs the guitars never go out of tune and there’s never a wait for a tee time.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
