What year did John Daly win the PGA Championship? Is he playing in 2024?

There was a collective sigh last year in the golfing world when, in mid-May John Daly broke the news that he would not be playing in the PGA Championship. A firm fan favorite, Daly’s irreverent attitude and “grip it and rip it” style of play always sees him draw huge crowds wherever he goes.

Just a few months after a knee replacement operation, Daly reported complications in his rehabilitation, leading to his withdrawal from the 2023 competition.

Daly released a statement saying, “I’m really disappointed to miss the PGA Championship. This Major means the world to me and will always have a special place in my heart. I wish the best to those competing.”

It was back in 1991 on this very same course when a 25-year-old John Daly took the golfing world by storm. A late replacement for Nick Price, who withdrew due to the birth of his son Gregory, Daly drove overnight from his home in Tennessee to upstate New York to compete in the tournament.

Known as the ultimate feel player, often making unwise decisions and relying heavily on his ability to hit the ball a country mile (think Happy Gilmore here), Daly went with his gut and won the crowd. Mullet-haired and mustachioed, Daly gripped and ripped his way to the top of the leader board and won his first major.

Donating $30,000 of his prize money to the family of a fan who was struck by lightning at the tournament, Daly cemented his place in the hearts of golf fans worldwide that year. And now at 58, he is still as big a draw as he ever was.

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Daly back for 2024 PGA Championship

The 58-year-old Daly will be back on the Valhalla Golf Course on 16 May when the first day’s action commences. The Californian has played in six PGA events this year making the cut on each occasion but failing to trouble top spots on the leaderboard with just $7,790 earned in prize money in the season so far.