Daly withdraws, citing virus concerns
John Daly is not taking any chances with COVID19.
One day after withdrawing from this week’s PGA Championship at Harding Park, Daly explained his decision Monday on Twitter. He cited the coronavirus surge in California as his main motivation for skipping the event.
“California now #1 in cases/ deaths,” Daly posted. “I had knee surgery, I’m a diabetic & I don’t feel comfortable flying. Being too close proximity to even small crowds & risk exposure with my health not worth it!”
Daly, 54, has won five times on the PGA Tour, including the 1991 PGA Championship — where he famously was the ninth alternate — and ’95 British Open. His status as a PGA Championship winner earned him a spot in this year’s field.
Daly, of course, has some history at Harding Park. He and Tiger Woods engaged in a riveting duel in a World Golf Championship event at Harding in October 2005. Their suddendeath playoff ended when Daly missed a 3foot par putt on No. 16, the second playoff hole.
That night, Daly drove to Las Vegas (site of the next tour event), according to his autobiography, and lost all of his Harding winnings — about $750,000 — at the slot machines.
PGA/Sharp Park link: This is only the second PGA Championship held in Northern California, and the first since Lanny Wadkins won at Pebble Beach in 1977. Stretch deeper into history and you discover a cool, unexpected Bay Area connection.
Gene Sarazen, one of golf ’s legendary figures, won the 1933 PGA in suburban Milwaukee — by beating Willie Goggin, then in his second year as club pro at Sharp Park in Pacifica. Yep, that’s the public Alister MacKenzie layout 9 miles down the coast from Harding Park. Sharp Park had opened one year earlier, in ’32.
Back then, the PGA Championship format was 36 holes of stroke play to reduce the field to 32 players, and then match play. Sarazen, on his way to becoming a Hall of Famer, earned a 5and4 victory over Goggin in the 36hole title match.
Goggin, then 27, apparently had plenty of power. The New
York Times described him as “the big clouter from the Pacific coast.” He also played well in the 1933 U.S. Open (tie for ninth) and 1940 Masters (tie for fourth).
Goggin stayed in golf as a club pro and won the PGA Senior Championship in 1959.
Briefly: This week’s forecast, according to weather.com, calls for high temperatures in the mid60s, clouds turning to sunshine Thursday and Friday afternoons and mostly sunny skies Saturday and Sunday. … Justin Thomas, who regained the No. 1 world ranking with Sunday’s victory in Memphis, will have Jim “Bones” Mackay as his caddie again this week. Mackay was Phil Mickelson’s caddie for 25 years. … Tee times and groupings for the PGA’s first two rounds will be announced Tuesday.