Golf legend John Daly withdraws from PGA Championship due to injury

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Fans won’t get to see John Daly’s sweet swing at the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill this week after he officially withdrew from the tournament on Monday due to injury. 

The tournament made the announcement via social media on Monday, saying that Daly has been replaced by Stephan Jaeger out of Germany. 

It is unknown what injury is preventing Daly from being in New York this week, as he’s been featured on the PGA Tour only a handful of times in recent years. 

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John Daly of the United States waits to putt on the third green during the first round of the Regions Tradition at Greystone Golf and Country Club on May 11, 2023 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Tiger Woods is another former champion that won't be participating in this year's field due to ankle surgery. 

Usually, Daly will make his return to the spotlight during major events, much like the PGA Championship. Since he won it in 1991, Daly is allowed to play in the tournament for life. 

Daly has played in five non-major tournaments over the past three years on Tour, though he hasn’t made a cut since the 2019 Barracuda Championship, which took place in Reno, Nevada. He finished 69th in the field, while Collin Morikawa won it all. 

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Daly, 57, has played on the PGA Tour Champions, which is the senior branch of the tour. He has been featured on that Tour this season in five championships, though his best finish was tied-38th at The Galleri Classic back in March. 

Daly has always been a fan favorite, not just for his monster tee shots that earned him the nickname "Long John," but for his charismatic personality that is the total opposite of the traditional golfer.

In fact, the 1991 PGA Championship was a typical Daly story, as the then-25-year-old entered the field at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Indiana as the ninth alternate after many pulled out of the tournament. Daly wasn’t supposed to do much, but he changed people’s minds real quick. 

John Daly hits a tee shot on the ninth hole during the first round of the Insperity Invitational at The Woodlands Golf Club on April 28, 2023 in The Woodlands, Texas.  (Tim Heitman/Getty Images)

Daly shot three-under in his first round to be tied-eighth in the field. A five-under second round, though, put him in sole possession of first place, and he wouldn’t relinquish it at the end of Saturday or Sunday. He was 11-under after a 69 on Saturday, and after shooting one-under in his final round, he beat Bruce Lietzke by three strokes with a total 12-under for the tournament. 

It was not just Daly’s first major win, but his first PGA Tour win that made him a household name. He would go on to win the 1995 Open Championship at the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland for his second and final major win to date. 

Daly’s recent scorecards may not be major worthy, but his nonchalant character and fascinatingly long backswing are still big draws for fans in attendance and at home, so he will certainly be missed. 

John Daly of the United States hits on the first fairway during the second round of the Regions Tradition at Greystone Golf and Country Club on May 12, 2023 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

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Perhaps Daly can recover in time for The Open at Royal Liverpool in July, which he has an exemption for that 1995 victory.