John Daly, the 59-year-old former PGA Championship winner, continues to battle with his health, which has taken a significant toll in recent years. Despite undergoing his 16th surgery this year—an emergency operation on his hand—and battling bladder cancer, Daly remains determined to continue his golf career.
“I’m like Lazarus — I keep coming back from the dead,” Daly said. “Waking up is a win for me.”
Even with his health challenges, Daly plans to compete in the senior PGA Tour Champions circuit. He will skip the PGA Championship next week at Quail Hollow in favor of playing in The Tradition, the first major event of the year for the Champions Tour, held in Birmingham, Alabama.
Daly expressed confusion about why the PGA Championship and the Regions Tradition were scheduled for the same week. “I can go there and miss the cut and get $6,000,” he said, referring to the PGA Championship. “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?”
The May schedule for golf events is typically crowded, with the Regions Tradition aiming to avoid conflict with Mother’s Day. The week following the PGA Championship, the Senior PGA Championship will take place at Congressional, and earlier dates were difficult due to NASCAR at Talladega.
Daly’s health issues, particularly after hand surgery in January, have affected his performance. He struggles with making three-quarter shots and his putting. At last week’s Insperity Invitational, where he previously won in 2017 and finished second in 2020, Daly finished with a score of 27-over par.
Daly isn’t the only former PGA champion who won’t play next week. Rich Beem, who famously defeated Tiger Woods at Hazeltine in 2002, chose to skip the PGA Championship this year after a tough experience at Valhalla last year. Beem now works for Sky Sports during big events and felt he wasn’t prepared for a long course like Quail Hollow, which spans 7,262 yards and plays as a par 71. Last year, Beem finished last with a score of plus-20.
“I got my (butt) handed to me last year,” Beem said. “Even though I had success at Bethpage in 2019, you lose 10 yards, you might as well lose 100.”
Beem plans to skip next year’s event at Aronimink but hopes to return to the PGA Championship in 2027, which will be held in his home state of Texas, where he expects better conditions for his game.
Davis Love III, who is recovering from heart surgery, and Y.E. Yang will also miss the PGA Championship next week.
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