John Daly to miss the 2025 PGA Championship: “I’m like Lazarus — I keep coming back from the dead”
‘Long John’ lifted the Wanamaker trophy in 1991. His last appearance in the tournament was back in 2012 although he has a life exemption.
John Daly plans to be out on the course with his caddie in the sunshine for a few rounds next week - but not at the T81. Daly, who took part in the Insperity Invitational last weekend, won’t be among the 156-player field in North Carolina.
The 59-year-old shot 24-over par at the Woodlands in Texas, ending in penultimate place (77th) - just ahead of Mark Calcavecchia, his PGA Tour Champions mate, who withdrew after Round 2.
Both men managed to joke about how far their respective careers have waned since their glory days. Daly lifted the the Wanamaker trophy back in 1991, as a PGA Tour rookie.
His last participation in the event was back in 2012 when he finished tied for 81st. Nevertheless, as a former winner, he has a life exemption, meaning that in theory he could be invited back for this year’s tournament which tees off next Thursday May 15.
But Big John has other commitments. Since 2016, he has played on the PGA Tour Champions, and the first of five majors on this year’s PGA Tour Champions, the Regions Tradition in Birmingham, Alabama, also gets underway on May 15.
The swing of a legend.
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) April 28, 2025
Happy birthday, @PGA_JohnDaly! pic.twitter.com/n8dQpwMczN
PGA events clash because of Mother’s Day
Daly explained why he will be heading to the Regions Tradition next week and not the PGA Championship - and it’s nothing to do with the money on offer. “I can go there, miss the cut and get $6,000...” he reasoned. “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?”
Despite undergoing surgery on the tendons in his right hand back at the start of the year, Daly insists that he is not ready to pack golf in just yet. “I’m like Lazarus — I keep coming back from the dead,” he told the Associated Press. “Waking up is a win for me!”
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