John Daly’s son in contention for near $1m payday on first ever PGA Tour start after coach reveals he ‘messed him up’

John Daly II enters the final round at the Puerto Rico Open within reach of the lead.

The Arkansas senior carded a two-under 70 on March 7 to finish the day tied eighth and three shots behind leader Ricky Castillo heading into Sunday.

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Saturday’s round unfolded in windy conditions, with the 22-year-old recording 15 pars and an eagle on the 11th.

It was almost a flawless run until the 18th, where he made his first bogey of the tournament since the opening round.

“It was solid,” Daly II said at his third-round press conference.

“For sure it was the windiest day of the week so far and it was really hard to get the numbers right.

“Stayed in it and played some good shots, sucks to make my first bogey in a while on 18, hit a good second shot, just the wind let it rise in the air. Oh, well, it was a good day.

“Gameplan is the same thing, I will go get some food, get a good night of sleep in and just go as low as I can tomorrow.”

The winner of the event will receive $720,000, and eligibility for the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass next week.

This is Daly’s first PGA Tour event, but he already has massive expectations attached to his name, being Hall-of-Fame John Daly’s son.

He is ranked 54th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. He reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club last summer and won the Southern Amateur.

A win would place him among the few amateurs to capture a title at a PGA Tour, the most recent golfer to achieve this was Nick Dunlap at the 2024 The American Express.

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Arkansas coach admits to too much tinkering with Daly II’s swing

With Daly aiming to add his name to a piece of golfing history, things were much different just over a year ago.

He couldn’t crack the starting lineup at the University of Arkansas as he battled with his swing, something which his coach admitted to tinkering too much with.

“I started jacking with his swing, saying you need to fix this and this, and I probably messed him up,” Arkansas head coach Brad McMakin told Golf Channel.

McMakin conceded his mistake: “I’ve left him alone, and I’ll take the blame.”

After working on the basics with his dad and former Arkansas assistant Barrett Lais, things suddenly clicked for Daly. 

Last spring, Daly posted three top-10s, including his first college victory at the Columbia Spring Invitational.

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“In my 30 years of coaching, this is the most satisfying thing I’ve ever seen from a player,” McMakin added.

“He went from being a bad driver of the golf ball, to now he’s hitting these tight draws, hits it high, has great control. 

“This has been one of the biggest improvements I’ve seen in a player in that short amount of time. I couldn’t be prouder of that kid, and I’m telling you, that kid is the greatest kid. 

“He’s a Christian kid, does everything right, his clothes in his closet are all color coordinated, he’s got everything organized, and he loves the Razorbacks more than anything in the world.”