Two-time major winner John Daly’s son has spent years turning a childhood dream into a college career worth celebrating. As he walked across the stage at the University of Arkansas, the 22-year-old did not just collect a degree; he closed a book that started before he ever swung a club in Fayetteville.

Taking to Instagram, John Daly II reflected on his journey till graduation. “From dreaming about being a Razorback and wearing the hog as a kid, to spending the last 5 years living it every single day, wow what a journey,” he wrote. “Little me would be in disbelief knowing this dream became a reality. I’m forever grateful for every teammate, and for the people who made this place so special.” His father, “Long John,” was present at his graduation.

That feeling behind those words makes more sense when you see what he really built during his time at Arkansas. Daly II posted a 71.78 scoring average in his redshirt sophomore season, the 24th-best single-season average in Razorbacks history. He earned his first collegiate win at the 2025 Columbia Spring Invitational, and the SEC named him co-Golfer of the Week and a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll honoree.

This isn’t the first time Daly II has expressed his love and pride for Arkansas. In March 2024, Daly II posted a team photo from the Cabo Collegiate, writing he was “so thankful” to be part of “one of the best tournaments in college golf.” And that success did not stay confined to the college level.

Daly II made his PGA Tour debut at the Puerto Rico Open in March 2026, receiving a sponsor’s invite and finishing T37 with a four-round total of seven under with rounds of 70-67-70-74. There, he made the cut with a five-under 67 in the second round after telling reporters he was going to skip the range and spend the afternoon at the beach instead, famously.

Daly II had some memorable college moments even outside the classroom and on the scoreboard. He reached the quarterfinals of the 2025 U.S. Amateur Championship, won the 2025 Southern Amateur Championship, and was among three finalists for the Ben Hogan Award, one of college golf’s most prestigious individual awards.

The connection to Arkansas also runs deeper than just his story. His father was a Razorbacks member from 1984 to ’87 who won the 1991 PGA Championship and 1995 Open Championship. John Daly II grew up knowing exactly what the program meant to his family, which is likely why his Instagram post ended the way it did: “Once a Razorback, always a Razorback.”

That father-son dynamic, though, goes well beyond just sharing a scorecard.

The Daly boys: A classic case of ‘listen to everyone but Dad’

Speaking on the New Heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce in April 2026, John Daly Sr. admitted his son listens to everyone but him. His workaround? Quietly telling the coach, then watching Little John credit the coach entirely. It’s a classic father-son dynamic, just played out on a golf course.

What makes it even funnier is that Daly dragged Charlie Woods into it, too. According to him, Little John looks to Tiger for advice, while Charlie looks to Daly Sr. Neither listens to their father. Yet in 2021, Team Daly silenced everyone by setting a tournament scoring record at the PNC Championship, beating Tiger and Charlie Woods.

Their relationship goes even deeper. Daly II played Crooked Stick in Indiana in 2020, where his father won the 1991 PGA Championship as the ninth alternate. It connected two generations in a way no coaching tip ever could.

While Daly II carves out his professional career, Daly Sr. tracks his trajectory on the course. The 60-year-old WD from the Insperity Invitational after three holes on May 9, 2026, and also missed the cut at the 2026 Senior PGA Championship. The torch is obviously passing, one round at a time.