VANCOUVER - They call him Long John.

It's been a long time since John Daly accomplished something like this.

With a four-day total of even-par 280 at the 2011 RBC Canadian Open, the fan favourite finished in a tie for ninth and notched his first top-10 finish on the PGA Tour since his playoff loss at the 2005 American Express Championship, a span of about 70 months.

“I’m proud,” Daly said. “At the beginning, I said if I shoot even-par this week, it will be a great score. And I shot even-par.”

Only eight guys managed to post a better total score at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club, which didn't surrender a single bogey-free round all week.

Daly has five PGA Tour titles — including the 1991 PGA Championship and the 1995 British Open — on his resume, but the 45-year-old has been a non-factor for more than a half decade.

Prior to this week, his best showing this season was a share of 38th at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.

“It's nice to see him play well,” said tournament champion Sean O'Hair, who was paired with Daly for Sunday's final round. “I think we all kind of want him to play well and get back to his form. I saw a lot of good things out of him this week.”