"I think I wasted my talent in the '90s” – When John Daly admitted to "not preparing to win golf tournaments"

John Daly once admitted that he wasn't preparing seriously for golf tournaments in the '90s. Daly is one of the most celebrated golfers in the golf world. He has two majors, among 19 professional wins.

Daly admitted in 2016 that the golfer didn't work hard enough for wins and "wasted" his talent. He added that his mental attitude changed over time and was 10 times better in 2016 as compared to the 90s.

“I think I wasted my talent in the '90s, especially towards the later part of the '90s…All the money was coming in, and I didn't work hard enough at it. I didn't do the right things to prepare myself to win golf tournaments... But that's just not the case anymore for me. I'm just kind of a grinder now, but I think my mental attitude is 10 times better than it was in the '90s,” John Daly said, via Golf Digest.

Daly added:

“Being kind of a blue-collar guy, I taught myself how to play the game growing up, I didn't have anybody coaching me on how to manage a golf course and definitely how to manage my life…Right now I'm in a great place, and I just wish I had the physical ability now that I had in the '90s. It would be probably a lot more fun.”

Currently, John Daly plays in the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions.

How did John Daly perform in 2024 so far?

John Daly’s best finish in the 2024 PGA Tour Champions schedule was at the American Family Insurance Championship, where he landed at T22 with a score of 3 under 213. His next best finish was at the Kaulig Companies Championship, where he finished at T56 with a score of 9 over 289.

Daly's last appearance was at the Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS, a tournament he withdrew from. Here's a list of his 2024 performances:

2024 PGA TOUR Champions Tournaments

Chubb Classic: Withdrawn, 7 over 142, 70-72
Trophy Hassan II: T65, 27 over 246, 76-87-83
Hoag Classic: T76, 15 over 228, 74-75-79
The Galleri Classic: T75, 14 over 230, 75-81-74
Invited Celebrity Classic: T77, 9 over 151, 79-72
Insperity Invitational: T76, 15 over 159, 77-82
Regions Tradition: T60, 5 over 293, 69-74-77-73
Principal Charity Classic: T73, 71-74-73
American Family Insurance Championship: T22, 3 under 213, 74-70-69
DICK'S Open: T61, 1 over 217, 69-70-78
Kaulig Companies Championship: T56, 9 over 289, 74-72-70-73
Senior Open pres. by Rolex: Withdrawn, even-par
Rogers Charity Classic: T68, 2 over 212, 67-75-70
The Ally Challenge: T58, 2 over 218, 74-75-69
Ascension Charity Classic: T64, 4 over 217, 68-73-76
Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS: Withdrawn, 72-79

2024 PGA TOUR Tournaments

PGA Championship: Withdrawn, 11 over 82, 82
The Open: Withdrawn, 11 over 82, 82