Harmon made a boob over Hooters 'booze' claim insists Daley

John Daly launched an extraordinary attack on coaching guru Butch Harmon today, claiming Tiger Woods's old mentor had "destroyed" his life by spreading lies about him.

Daly, the 1995 Open champion whose unpredictable career has been famed as much for his battle with alcohol as much as his two major triumphs, dismissed Harmon as not being a "real man" and warned that he better keep away from him over the next few days.

The war between two of golf's biggest names began at a tournament in Florida in March. Harmon, who had been helping remould Daly's swing, abruptly terminated their brief relationship after claiming that the 42-year-old's behaviour showed that "the most important thing in his life is getting drunk".

During a rain delay in the tournament, 'Wild Thing' Daly went to an on-course corporate tent run by Hooters, the restaurant chain famed for its buxom waitresses. The next day, after missing the cut, he reportedly spent hours in the tent drinking beer and signing autographs.

Yet Daly today blamed Harmon for fabricating stories about that weekend and insisted he had drunk only cola during the rain delay and had gone to the tent to help raise money for charity.

He said: "Butch said I'm just a drunk. He made up stuff when he didn't know the facts and it's ridiculous he put it out all over the world and didn't talk to me. Real men just don't do that. His lies kind of destroyed my life for a little bit.