John Daly, who motors between tournaments in a recreational vehicle, will employ a different mode of transport at the PGA Championship next week: a golf cart.
According to the AP, the PGA of America granted Daly permission to use a cart at Bethpage Black because of arthritis in his right knee that, he says, prevents him from walking more than six holes at a time.
Daly filed his request under the Americans with Disabilities Act and will become the first player to ride a cart in a major since Casey Martin in the 2012 U.S. Open.
“I hope I don’t get a lot of grief from the fans,” Daly told the AP of the famously vocal Bethpage galleries. “My knee is screwed. I had the meniscus cut out. I have osteoarthritis so bad … I can walk up a hill, I just can’t walk down one.”
Last year Daly sought permission from the United States Golf Association to use a cart at the U.S. Senior Open. When his request was denied, he vowed to never play another USGA event. “Just not worth it to me,’’ Daly told USA Today.
Daly told the AP that he has also been suffering from dizzy spells that this week led him to withdraw from the Regions Tradition, the first senior major of the year.
Daly has a lifetime exemption into the PGA Championship thanks to his storybook 1991 title at Crooked Stick. He has missed the cut in the last five PGA Championships. At the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, Daly tied for 70th.
