John Daly would be a true out-of-the-box choice for U.S. Ryder Cup captain

John Daly is a name not often associated with the Ryder Cup — until Wednesday, when an amusing tweet from this week’s PGA Tour event got us wondering.

The concept of a red, white, and blue Loudmouth-bedecked home squad sporting mullets, smoking cigarettes, and hawking USA wares outside the gates of Hazeltine would be wildly amusing if nothing else. After all, following the recent trouncing by the Euros and subsequent endless finger-pointing, hand-wringing, and task forcing, isn’t it time somebody put the fun back in a clearly dysfunctional American team?

Talk about outside the box. We never quite understood how PGA of America prez Ted Bishop considered handing the reins to a 65-year-old staunch traditionalist like Tom Watson was somehow revolutionary, but if unique and unorthodox is what’s called for to stop the bleeding from losing six of the last seven matches, John Daly’s your man.

He’s friends with veterans like Tiger Woods, who will in 2016, barring further injuries, likely make his eighth Ryder Cup appearance after missing last month’s disaster to nurse his surgically repaired back. Daly, one could argue, paved the way for up-and-comers like Rickie Fowler to strut their fashionable togs, so he’s got that going for him. And he’s always a crowd favorite.

Of course should Daly get the call (we’re not holding our breath), the only double major winner never to play on a Ryder Cup team may be too busy with his off-course interests to consider the task. Long John, who knows a thing or two about hitting rock bottom, announced Tuesday a new endorsement deal with Internet golf retailer, RockBottomGolf.

In addition to his new “Rock Heads” work, combined with his long-time shilling of show-stealing duds, Daly is a country music singer of some repute, a fast food entrepreneur, and slinger of adult beverages. So his plate is rather full.

The 48-year-old golfer who’s still trying to earn his PGA Tour card back will make his next start this weekend in the Mission Hills World Celebrity Pro-Am in China. No word on whether he’ll participate in the newest worldwide craze to hit courses starved for revenue of any kind, football golf, which will kick off (uh huh) on Saturday.