Like father, like son.
John Daly is a legendary sports figure, and whether you like it or not, Daly is a glistening representation of the peak male form. He presented himself to the world as a professional athlete in the late 1980s by speaking his mind and wearing bright colored and patterned outfits.
If you haven’t figured it out already, Daly pretty much does anything and everything he wants to, whenever he wants to. And it appears that his son is cut from the same cloth. In case you didn’t hear, John Daly II started in his very first PGA Tour event earlier today after getting a sponsor’s exemption at the Puerto Rico Open. The 22-year-old is currently a senior at the University of Arkansas, and he’s set to graduate in Spring 2026.
And just in case I haven’t been clear so far, he’s the son of golfing legend John Daly. That’s right… Daly’s son is now old enough to graduate from college and play in PGA Tour events. Feel old yet?
Daly II, also known as “Little John,” did quite well in his first PGA Tour start. He shot 2-under-par, which is good enough for a Top 20 standing headed into round two tomorrow. The young golfer had an impressive chip-in on his way to his first under par round on the PGA Tour:
Very nicely judged.
After finishing up his round, John Daly II spoke with the media and let everyone know that his practice session for the afternoon was going to be grueling. The son of the great John Daly planned on spending a lot of time doing some work in the sand. Sand trap/bunker work, you might be asking?
Well… not exactly:
“I would say I’d go hit balls, but I’m a little tired. So I’m just gonna probably go to the beach and do absolutely nothing for the rest of the day.”
So no bunker practice… instead he’s just going to do some visualization exercises while he either looks at a) the crashing waves or b) the back of his eye lids as he lounges on the beach.
That’s what golf fans would expect out of the son of John Daly. Play well in your first round on the tour? Then go relax on the beach and worry about hitting that little white ball around tomorrow. I’m sure his father probably advised him to do exactly that.
Let’s check in to see how his dad used to get ready for tournaments back in the day, just to make sure the whole “don’t try too hard but also be great” mentality is hereditary thing. Here’s a video of John Daly detailing his approach to competition from when he was on the tour:
“Well, I hit balls for maybe 20 minutes, putt a little bit, smoke four or five cigarettes, drink three Diet Cokes and go to the first tee. Some days I won’t even go to the range (to hit balls).”
Yep, no genetic testing needed… John Daly II is his father’s son.
