Pro golfer John Daly finished in last place at the Insperity Invitational in Texas last weekend, but in his mind, he’s a winner anyway. Daly, 59, has endured 16 surgeries in his life, including an emergency hand surgery in January.
“I’m like Lazarus, I keep coming back from the dead,” he told The Associated Press in a story published earlier this week. “Waking up is a win for me.”
Daly announced his emergency procedure in January, sharing a photo of himself in a hospital bed via his Instagram Story.
“Emergency hand surgery,” he wrote at the time. “Thankful [it] went great.”
Daly told the AP that putting remains one of his problems on the course as his recovery continues. Still, he’s determined to keep playing. Despite finishing 27-over last weekend, he’s already looking forward to his next event, the senior golf tour’s Regions Tradition May 14 to 18.
He chose that tournament over the PGA Championship, which is at the same time.
“I can go there and miss the cut and get $6,000,” Daly said of 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, where I can see Brooks [Koepka] and all the guys?”
Daly has endured even more medical challenges over the years. He underwent surgery for bladder cancer in 2020, and while he has admitted the cancer could return, he said he was thankful that doctors caught the cancer early.
“I’m cutting way, way back on the Diet Coke and counting minutes before I can have a cigarette,” he said during a 2020 interview with the Golf Channel. “I’m trying to quit smoking. The doctors aren’t saying it’s too late.”
Daly once admitted to smoking 40 cigarettes per day and drinking 10 to 12 cans of Diet Coke — sometimes reaching 26 to 28 cans in a day. During his heyday as a golfer, Daly was known to both smoke and drink Diet Coke on the course.
“We will just see what happens,” he added. “Maybe there’s a miracle.”
Daly announced in February that his cancer is in remission.
One year before his diagnosis, Daly was vacationing in England, when he was bitten by a brown recluse spider. He then developed sepsis and required emergency surgery.
Daly has also opened up about his struggles with alcohol, undergoing multiple stints in rehab. In a 2024 appearance on golfer Bryson DeChambeau’s YouTube channel, he told DeChambeau that he was on his 20th drink of the day.
“Oh I started drinking at nine this morning,” he said. “Might be the 20th. I’ve slowed down. I’ve slowed down a little bit. This is an important day, I’m with my son and we are going to break 50.”
