John Daly, the 1995 Champion Golfer of the Year, has withdrawn from The Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Two-time major champion John Daly has withdrawn from The Open Championship at Royal Troon.
He cited a knee injury as the reason for his exit. Daly pulled out of the tournament after posting a 10-over 81 during Thursday’s first round, a day that featured seven bogies and a closing quadruple bogey eight on the 18th hole.
He also withdrew from the PGA Championship in May after opening with an 11-over 82 at Valhalla. Daly said he suffered a thumb injury in Kentucky and pulled out as a result.
Of course, Daly won the 1991 PGA Championship by three strokes at Crooked Stick in Indiana and the 1995 Open Championship in a playoff over Constantino Rocca at St. Andrews. Those two wins allow the 58-year-old to still compete in these two major championships each year, even though he has not contended since the mid-1990s. His Open Championship exemption will expire in two years, after he turns 60, meaning next year’s edition at Royal Portrush could be his last.
The former Arkansas Razorback has not made a cut in a major since 2012, when he tied for 18th at Kiawah Island. He played the weekend at Royal Lytham & St. Anne’s earlier that summer, too, tying for 81st.
Nevertheless, Daly has also struggled this season on the PGA Tour Champions. He has carded only three sub-70 rounds across 11 events while posting six rounds of 80 or higher. His best finish this year came at last week’s Kaulig Companies Championship at Firestone Country Club, where he tied for 56th. But that result was short-lived, as Daly is headed home early from Royal Troon.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
