John ‘Wild Thing’ Daly, the maverick golf star who has recorded two music albums and has a line of Loudmouth golf apparel, added another string to his bow after receiving a cooking lesson from English celebrity chef Theo Randall at a Commercial Bank Qatar Masters Skills Swap.
Daly had earlier given Randall, an InterContinental ambassador, a few tips on the practice range at Doha Golf Club.
Far from possessing a conventional swing, Daly’s enormous backswing and shoulder turn helped him top the PGA Tour’s driving rankings for years as he regularly boomed drives well over 300 yards.
‘Long John’, who turns 50 in April, has been one of the world’s most famous golfers since winning the 1991 PGA Championship, with the big-hitting American underlining his enormous ability and all-round game by capturing the 1995 Open Championship for his second Major title.
Playing in Qatar for the second time in three years, Daly showed his appetite for learning new skills when Randall, a Michelin star chef who specialises in Italian cuisine, instructed him in the art of cooking ravioli in the Winners Enclosure hospitality chalet overlooking the 18th green.
“Theo’s great. He really knows his stuff and kept it simple when he was explaining.
“A lot of top chefs won’t tell you anything, but he’s happy to share, which is great,” Daly said.
“The food tastes so good, so natural. I cook a lot at home, so I really enjoyed this. We don’t have a pasta maker, but I want to get one now!”
Randall, now in his 10th year as proprietor of Theo Randall at The InterContinental London Park Lane, received some tips on the practice range from Daly, who jokingly extended Randall’s backswing and endorsed the ‘grip it and rip it’ style of golf, saying: “Just smack it!”
However, Randall said the golf star really warmed up when they moved to the cooking station.
“I enjoyed the golf, but John was really enthusiastic when we were cooking.
“I can imagine a new line of pasta by John Daly now!” Randall joked.
“It’s nice to work with people who have enthusiasm. We’ve talked a lot over the past couple of days and I really enjoyed my time with him.”