John Daly has decided to miss next week’s PGA Championship as he continues to recover from surgery, with the golf legend admitting: ‘Waking up is a win for me.’
The 59-year-old remains one of golf’s most popular characters thanks to his eccentric fashion sense, his big hitting and his colorful life – both on and off the course.
But the two-time major champion will not tee it up at Quail Hollow, with Daly opting instead to play in the Regions Tradition – the first of five majors on the PGA Tour Champions, which is for players 50 and older.
Daly is still working his way back to his best after a health scare saw him hospitalized in January. He required an emergency operation on his left hand before returning to golf in March.
It was the 16th surgery of a remarkable career for Daly, who has also battled bladder cancer. ‘I’m like Lazarus – I keep coming back from the dead,’ the 59-year-old said.
‘I didn’t think I’d been out here for three decades, I’ve only been dead eleven times… 16 surgeries in four years, I’ve lost count pretty much.’
John Daly has decided to skip the PGA Championship as he continues to recover from surgery
The golf legend required emergency hand surgery after a health scare earlier this year
The 59-year-old has struggled since making his comeback at the Hoag Classic in late March
Back in 2020, following his cancer diagnosis, Daly vowed to improve his infamous diet and lifestyle. ‘I’m cutting way, way back on the Diet Coke and counting minutes before I can have a cigarette. I’m trying to quit smoking,’ he said.
But Daly has continued to have problems with his health. On his recent surgery, he explained: ‘The tendons were all wrapped around each other. [The doctor] doesn’t understand how I played last year. But he put it back, attached it to the forefinger or something.’
He has struggled since making his comeback at the Hoag Classic in late March. His results for the 2025 season read: tied 56th, tied 75th, tied 50th and 77th.
He finished at 27-over par last week at the Insperity Invitational, a tournament he won in 2017 and was runner-up in 2020.
Daly, 59, holds a lifetime exemption to the PGA Championship after winning the tournament in 1991 at Crooked Stick Golf Club. He also won the 1995 Open Championship.
‘I can go there and miss the cut and get $6,000,’ Daly said of the PGA Championship, which last year paid $4,000 to players who missed the cut. ‘But I’m playing Birmingham. I love Regions. They’re a great sponsor.
‘But why are they scheduling Regions the same week as the PGA Championship, where I can see Brooks (Koepka) and all the guys?’
Daly entered last year’s PGA Championship at Valhalla but withdrew due to a thumb injury before the second round after shooting an 11-over 82 in the opening round.
