‘My Back Gets All Bad’: John Daly on Seniors Tour’s Reality While He Tells Tiger Woods to Stay Away

“If I had your talent, I’d be doing the same thing,” Tiger Woods had said to John Daly at the 2004 Target World Challenge when Daly asked Woods to join him over a drink instead of hitting the gym. Indeed. Daly is probably the only one who defeated Tiger with a hangover! Well, talent can gift you miracles, but for sustaining those, discipline holds the key. And Daly has done it all to defy that. This is where the paths of Woods and Daly go diagonally opposite, despite the two having immense mutual respect. For Daly, disregard for the fitness regimes has manifested in every possible manner.

Throughout his career, Daly struggled with weight management and bizarre food habits. And if those were not enough, in 2020, Daly was diagnosed with bladder cancer. The worst part of it? Daly had to leave his John Daly image. “Everything I love to eat and drink causes the stones that causes the cancer. Alcohol. Beef. Milk. Diet drinks. I’ve tried to cut back on the smokes,” he had said after his diagnosis. Yes, Daly earned that cult status in the sport for all things beyond golf, but his nickname of “Wild Thing” came for a price. In a recent conversation at the Like A Farmer podcast, Daly opened up about how lingering health issues have affected his time at the Champions Tour.

The 2x major winner revealed the struggles he’s been facing when he was asked what keeps him wanting to play the game of golf. Daly admitted that it’s tough, citing his numerous surgeries and inability to play healthy since joining the Champions Tour. He expressed his frustration, saying, “Ever since I got on the Champions Tour, I’ve never played one tournament healthy… I’ve had so many surgeries on knees, feet, shoulder, elbows, hands, you name it.”

Daly confessed that his physical limitations have hindered his ability to practice and compete at the level he desires. He’s no longer able to hit hundreds of wedges or spend hours on the putting green due to his back issues. Despite this, he remains competitive and wishes he could get healthy enough to regain his form and truly compete on the tour. “I can’t stay on a putting green and hit 500 putts, you know, and because my back gets all bad… you know, it’s just like, I’m still competitive, but I just wish I could get healthy to where I could really get my game back and be able to compete on that tour,” he said. Just like the way Daly is clear about himself, his thoughts are equally clear about Tiger Woods’ potential.

Lately, there has been a lot of chatter about Tiger joining the Champions Tour. Tiger becomes eligible for it when he turns 50 on December 30. Veterans like Bernhard Langer are excited about the possibility. “For us it would be a thrill to see Tiger come out and play the Champions Tour, and I’m convinced he will play several. Depends how many,” Langer had said. Daly is not buying the idea at all.

On the podcast, the host asked Daly if he would ever find Tiger playing at the Champion Tour. “I think Bernhard Langer has said something that Tiger may go after. I don’t know. But Tiger loves to break records, and I think he’s got the will and the game to still win Majors, even hurt. I always root for him, I believe in him, and I don’t think Tiger’s done yet,” Daly set the record straight. For context, Tiger has played a limited schedule since his February 2021 car accident. But Daly is upbeat.

“Three years ago I thought he could think he could still beat Jack [Nicklaus’ 18 major record]. I’m still not beyond that because Phil Mickelson won PGA in a very difficult Golf Course at 50 years, old 51 years old. it can be done,” he added. And he also charted out the reason in a typical John Daly style.

“I agree if tiger gets healthy man, he’s in shape, I mean was he 48 now, man he’s got a body of a 20-year-old. I hugged him at PNC, he hugged fat, I hugged a brick. He’s so strong, it’s a joke man,” Daly hilariously referred to Tiger’s legendary fitness. Interestingly enough, though, Daly has, previously, also said that he thinks working out actually isn’t as helpful as young golfers think. Around the 2018 PGA Championship, John Daly took a swing at Woods’ intense fitness regimen, suggesting it may have done more harm than good.

Top Comment by Anonymous

He can’t just wish himself healthy – has to stop smoking and drinking esp since the bladder cancer diagnosis.

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Why John Daly thinks modern golfers are getting it wrong

John Daly, a two-time Major winner, has shared his thoughts on the physical training of modern golfers, and his views are nothing short of surprising. “I think working out hurts a lot of these guys, I really do,” Daly said in a recent interview. He believes that “working out hardcore” can lead to a loss of flexibility and mechanical swings, ultimately hurting golfers in the long run. Daly thinks that this intense physical training will prevent golfers from playing well into their 50s and 60s.

Daly’s approach to practice is a far cry from the intense fitness regimens of modern golfers. “Mine was just practice wedges and chip and putt all day long. I could do that all day long; that’s all I did,” he revealed. Daly prioritizes playing and practicing his short game over hitting the gym.

He believes that too much off-course work can be detrimental and that golfers should focus on finding a balance that works for them. As Daly put it, “When I get to a tournament, if you’re not ready, you shouldn’t have to practice as much — you should just kind of go just get warmed up basically.” Do you agree with John Daly‘s unconventional take on golf practice? Let us know in the comment section below.