Jon Gruden was in the headlines yesterday as the former NFL coach signed as a free agent with Barstool Sports. And in his first day at the new job, the always quotable Gruden offered up a few viral soundbytes, including one fantastic golf story.

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Appearing on the Pardon My Take podcast, Gruden told the wild tale of how he wound up subbing in as John Daly’s caddie at a PGA Tour event. This took place during the first round at the 2008 PODS Championship. And there’s visual proof on Getty that this partnership actually happened:

Sam Greenwood

OK, so let’s get to Gruden’s story. “I was up at the Hooters Owl’s Nest, they call it, I was just drinking some beers,” Gruden begins. And with a start like that, how could it not be a great story? That sounds like the place to be. Anyway, we’ll let Jon tell the rest of it.

Jon Gruden got to caddy for John Daly on the PGA Tour for a day pic.twitter.com/13x8ZPBKZL

— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) November 15, 2024

So there you have it. Gruden, still the Tampa Bay Bucs head coach at the time, was “relaxing” up in the hospitality area when a lightning storm delayed play. Daly made his way up there, of course, and his caddie had a couple drinks and wandered away, leading to Gruden wearing JD’s caddie bib. Eventually the tournament re-started and Daly asked Gruden to carry his (very heavy) bag. And Gruden “had to pee like a rhinoceros.” What a line.

Gruden doesn’t remember what JD shot for those few holes, but he does recall trying to stay out of the way himself by not going on the greens. But the crowd, in particular at the 17th hole where he had been hanging out, noticed him and started chanting for him. Gruden returned to his day job—or maybe simply day drinking—the following day.

But they’ll always have those few holes together in 2008. Maybe Gruden even put that on his resume when applying for his Barstool gig. Regardless, keep the golf stories coming, Jon—especially if they involve the Hooters Owl’s Nest.

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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com