John Daly plans to tee it in the majors next week, not in the PGA Championship.
The biggest quirk of the 2025 schedule is that the local tradition in Birmingham, Alabama (first of five majors in the PGA Tour Championship) is the same week as the PGA Championship at the Cool Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I can go there and miss a cut and win $6,000,” Daly said of the PGA Championship. “But I play Birmingham. I love the region. They are great sponsors. But why do they schedule the region in the same week as Brooks (Koepka) and the PGA Championship where you can see everyone?”
It can usually be crowded due to golf, and local traditions are difficult to get support this week on Mother’s Day. The week after the PGA Championship is the Senior PGA Championship in Congress.
It was difficult to get there early in Talladega on April 27th with NASCAR.
Daly is also not in the best form after undergoing surgery with her left hand in January. He said his biggest problem is getting over the ball with three-quarters of the shot – and his putting. He finished last week with a 27-over par at The Insperity Invitational. This was the winner in 2017 and the runner-up in 2020.
However, he is not ready to pack it up from playing with 16 surgeries and bladder cancer, even from playing with the PGA Tour champion.
“I’m like Lazarus – I’m back from death,” he said. “Walking up is a victory for me.”
It’s not just the former PGA champion who went missing next week.
Richbeam, who defeated Tiger Woods at Hazeltin in 2002, chose not to play this year after a rough go at Barhalla last year. Beem currently works at Sky Sports in big events and felt that she didn’t have enough time to prepare for a big course this year. Quail Hollow is playing as a par 71 for 7,262 yards.
“Last year I got my (butt),” he said. “Even if you succeed at Bethpage (2019), if you lose 10 yards, you might lose 100.”
He plans to skip Aroni Mink next year, but said he will return to the PGA Championship in his home town of Texas in 2027.
Davis Love III (recovering from heart surgery) and Ye Yang will not even take part in the PGA Championship next week.