John Daly withdraws from the PGA Championship with a thumb injury

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Former champion John Daly withdrew from the PGA Championship on Friday with what he said was a thumb injury.

He shot 82 in the first round at Valhalla without making a birdie.

Daly famously won the 1991 PGA Championship at Crooked Stick when he was the ninth alternate, drove to Indiana and overwhelmed the course by introducing golf fans to his “grip-it-and-rip-it” style that produced prodigious tee shots.

He also won the 1995 British Open at St. Andrews.

Daly is the only player in the field who uses a cart because of osteoarthritis in his left knee and type 2 diabetes. That was approved under the Americans with Disabilities Act in 2019 at Bethpage Black. There were no details on his thumb injury.

Daly, 57, last made the cut in the PGA Championship in 2012 at Kiawah Island. This was his 30th appearance in the PGA Championship. PGA champions have a lifetime exemption.

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf