What year did John Daly win the PGA Championship? Why isn’t he playing this year?

The news that John Daly would not be playing in the PGA Championship came as a disappointment to fans all over the golfing world. A firm fan favorite, Daly’s irreverent attitude and “grip it and rip it” style of play see him draw huge crowds wherever he goes.

Just a few months after a knee replacement operation, Daly has reported complications in his rehabilitation, leading to his withdrawal from this year’s competition. This now marks 11 years since Daly last made the cut at the PGA Championship.

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 57, he is still as big a draw as he ever was. I am sure that everyone joins me in wishing him a speedy and quick recovery.