John Daly is having some health issues and it is making it difficult for him to compete in PGA Tour events and major championships.
Daly’s request for the use of a cart at the PGA Championship was granted – and it was a sideshow, but the USGA denied his request for the use of a cart at the U.S. Open.
Now, the R&A has followed in the steps of the USGA and has also decided to deny Daly’s request for the use of a cart at Royal Portrush this month in the Open Championship.
The R&A have carefully considered the request from 1995 Champion Golfer of the Year John Daly to use a buggy at The 148th Open at Royal Portrush later this month. The R&A appreciate the difficulty John is facing and have full sympathy for him as this is clearly a serious, long-term condition.
Having considered all of the relevant factors, the Championship Committee has decided to decline his request. The R&A believe that walking the course is an integral part of the Championship and is central to the tradition of links golf which is synonymous with The Open. We must also ensure that, as far as possible, the challenge is the same for all players in the field.
The terrain at Royal Portrush is not suited to buggies and indeed the club itself does not permit their use. We have a serious concern that some parts of the course, where there are severe slopes and swales, would be inaccessible.
This is not a decision we have taken lightly but we believe it is the right one for The Open. John has a special place in our hearts as a Champion Golfer and he will always be welcome at the Championship both at Royal Portrush and in future.
Look, I love John Daly, but the guy created his own health issues and I’m honestly not sure he’s really attempted to remedy them. He’s still chugging cokes and smoking and that’s probably not helping him out.
I do understand that he is a two-time major champion – there’s a video of him pinned at the top of my Twitter account – and wants to compete in the big events that he has won, however, it is not fair to hand one advantage to a player while others who may have health issues are not putting in requests like his.
This is the right decision.
