After a tough opening day at Valhalla Golf Club, John Daly called it a day on Friday morning.
Daly withdrew from the PGA Championship prior to his second round due to a thumb injury. It is unclear how serious the injury is and whether Daly injured his thumb while playing on Thursday.
Daly struggled in Valhalla on Thursday. He opened with three consecutive bogeys and went 7-over on his front nine. He finished with an 11-over 82, which put him almost at the bottom of the rankings.
But in true Daly fashion, he enjoyed it on the track.
I heard the volunteer from John Daly’s group say that today in Valhalla he went through two packs of cigarettes, four Snickers bars and two Cokes. Had to share.
— Gabby Herzig (@GabbyHerzig) May 16, 2024
Daly, 58, now plays mostly on the PGA Tour Champions and rides in cart due to injuries. He won five times on the PGA Tour during his career, including the 1991 PGA Championship and the 1995 British Open.
Daly has one PGA Tour Champions win to his name, at the Insperity Invitational in 2017. He has played that circuit seven times this season, but he hasn’t finished better than 65th.
Daly has not competed in a major championship since 2018.
Daly would have had to make an incredible comeback on Friday to get through this week. Xander Schauffele posted a course record of 62 on Thursday, giving him a three-shot lead over the field at 9 under. The game was postponed by about 90 minutes Friday morning after a fatal off-court accident. Highly ranked Scottie Scheffler was also arrested in a separate incident, although he was released and returned in time to tee off in the second round.
