John Daly makes big admission about his bladder cancer battle
John Daly has made a big admission about his battle against bladder cancer. It came in a YouTube video by Phil Mickelson and the HyFlyers channel, while talking to his son, John Daly Jr.
In the video titled "Phil & Grant Vs John Daly & John Daly Jr. (Part 2)", when Daly’s son asked him (at 26:16) if he's worried that their team is 3 down, he replied:
"Really? Only time I ever got scared, son, is when I got diagnosed with cancer. You think I'm scared of anything? Please."
In the Like a Farmer Podcast, which aired on February 19, Daly revealed this for the first time. In that podcast, he explained what he was going through during those days and what his doctor advised. He said (at 52:40):
"It was scary. I was peeing blood, pukin' blood. I thought my back was killing me, and I didn't know. And I went in [to] Little Rock, got a checkup and everything on my back, and then—was it a neurologist?—doctor saw it and said, ‘You gotta come back.’"
"I was fixin' to go to Hooters, get some wings in Little Rock, and he called and said, 'No, don't eat anything. Gotta get you back over here.' And I go, ‘Why?’ And [he said], 'Well, you have cancer. You have bladder cancer.' What else can happen, you know?"
Daly can’t set goals for golf anymore. He feels it should not be an excuse, yet no one can play great golf if they are not healthy.
Injuries and health have hurt John Daly in recent years
John Daly has been regularly suffering from different injuries in the last couple of years. Early this year, he revealed he underwent hand surgery. There was no specific reason given, but it was "an emergency surgery".
In May 2024, Daly had to withdraw from the 2024 PGA Championship due to a thumb injury. Again, there was no specific reason given.
In July 2024, Daly shared photos of his knees to announce that he was going to miss The Open. In his post on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote:
"Disappointed on missing out @TheOpen b/c of a knee injury. Watching from afar isn't the same, but know I tried my heart out to get thru it. Was at physio this morning and made the decision to ice & rest it! Thk u to all my fans and @RandA for a week @RoyalTroonGC #IliotibialBandSyndrome"
Despite getting injured again and again, Daly keeps on competing in PGA Tour events regularly. He also suffers from arthritis, so as per the Americans with Disabilities Act, he is permitted to use a cart during PGA tournaments.