John Daly has teed off 142 times in the Champions Tour. He has won only once – back in 2017 and has one runner-up finish to show for himself. Before you say Daly doesn’t care enough about the Senior Tour, he has had his fill, pause for a moment and hear him out. 

He does care. A lot. “I am still competitive,” said the 58-year-old in a recent interview. But quite like his former rival, Tiger Woods, it’s a case of body vs will. And it has been going on since the time Daly joined the Senior Tour. Per his own admission, he hasn’t teed off in a single tournament at his 100%. 

“Ever since I got on the Champions Tour, I’ve never played one tournament healthy… I’ve never been able to really be able to practice the way I want to practice,’ Daly regretted in a chat with host Pat Spinosa at the Like a Farmer Podcast. In the last season alone, the two-time major winner had to pull out of as many as five tournaments: 

• February 2024, Chubb Classic: Daly withdrew from the on Saturday as an old hand injury flared up. 
• May 2024, PGA Championship: A thumb injury forced the Long John to call it quits after the first round. 
• June 2024, Open Championship: A knee injury forced John Daly to pack his bags early on Friday.
• July 2024, Senior Open Championship: The same injury kept him away from the Senior Open as well. 
• October 2024, Constellation Furyk & Friends: Daly left the field before the final round.

Elaborating on his day-to-day struggles, John Daly added in the podcast, “I’ve never been able to really be able to practice the way I want to practice. I can’t hit 400 wedges from 100 yards anymore. Can’t say on the putting green and hit 500 putts you know cause my back, it’s all bad.” 

It’s actually not a surprise that Daly’s body has almost given up. While Woods’s long list of surgeries will likely never be topped by any golfer (athlete even), Daly himself battled with injuries all his career. It has only gotten worse in the last couple of years, as the number of frequent surgeries reveals a staggering picture. 

John Daly has only one wish for 2025: to undo the last few years’ damage

Daly underwent knee replacement surgery in 2022. Notably, the 58-year-old also had knee surgery in 2019. Then there is his shoulder, or more specifically, separated shoulder, which would pop out occasionally when he was playing golf. Of course, he is also a cancer survivor. So, there is no doubt about his willpower. 

Heading to 2025, the veteran golfer has only one wish: to be healthy and remain so. “I am still competitive but I really wish I could get my game back to where I can get my game back and be able to compete on the Tour,” said the five-time PGA Tour winner. 

The Senior Tour started in January with three events being completed. John Daly is recovering from hand surgery with no specific date for a comeback in sight. The next Champions Tour event, Cologuard Classic, will tee off on March 7.