John Daly II impressed during his PGA Tour debut on Thursday in the Puerto Rico Open.
Daly, the son of two-time major champion John Daly, shot a 2-under 70 during his opening round and sits tied for 21st, which is second among all amateurs in the field, heading into Friday’s action at Grand Reserve Golf Club.
“I started swinging a club when I was two, just watching my dad,” Daly II said before the tournament on Wednesday, according to The Golf Channel. “So I knew from a young age that I was going to end up playing golf. This was always one of my favorite events to come to as a kid, and now with this being my first start is really special.”
The 22-year-old Arkansas senior kicked off his round with a birdie at the par-4 first and played steady golf from there with just two bogeys and four total birdies on the day.
The highlight of his day was likely on the 16th hole when Daly chipped in for birdie to move to 2-under.
“Got off to a good start, made a nice birdie on one,” Daly said. “Solid up-and-down on two, made about a 20-footer for par, which is nice, settled me in. And then just hit some good shots. Feel like I left a few out there, but I made it up with just a couple good saves and nice chip-in on 16.”
That was it for the day for Daly with his clubs, he said after the round, channeling his father’s famous nonchalant attitude when it comes to professional golf.
“I would say I’d go hit balls, but I’m a little tired, so I’m just probably going to go to the beach and do absolutely nothing for the rest of the day,” Daly said with a laugh when asked about his preparation plan for Friday during the post-round press conference.
Daly has played in several PNC Championships with his legendary dad, winning the tournament in 2021 over Tiger and Charlie Woods, and finishing runner-up on three other occasions.
