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John Daly had just started his round in the 2026 Insperity Invitational. He had just completed the third hole and was sitting at 2-over par. Unfortunately, that is when he decided to pack his bag and call it quits at The Woodlands Country Club.

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The reasons for it weren’t immediately clear. Maybe he could have sustained an injury, but nothing was clarified on camera, or maybe he was already sick. Or it could have been an old injury flaring up again, considering what he has suffered in the last few years.

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In 2025 January, he had to undergo an emergency hand surgery in Tampa. It was his 16th surgery in four years. His recovery was brutal, but he returned to competition by March 2025. Daly’s withdrawal from the Insperity Invitational stings a bit more as he had his lone PGA Tour Champions win here in 2017.

The Insperity Invitational was his fifth start of the season. He missed the cut at the Senior PGA Championship and finished 71st at the Regions Tradition. His best finish this season is a T-21 at the Hoag Classic. Daly was recently seen falling down in a penalty area at the Cologuard Classic.

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The veteran golfer tried to hit a shot out of a sandy native area to the green. Unfortunately, he lost his balance and bellyflopped down the hill before completely going out of frame. His caddy and a few others jumped in to stop his slide and pull him up. John Daly finished the tournament at 6-under, tying for 29th and later shared the video on his Instagram, captioning, “On today’s episode of Jacka**.”

He opened his round with a bogey at The Woodlands Country Club before saving par on the next hole. However, he added one more square to his scorecard on the third hole. No official statement has been released by Daly, but it’s not odd for the major winner to withdraw from Champions Tour events.

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Last year, while playing the Regions Tradition, Daly called it quits after just seven holes. However, his reasoning back then might have been far different from what it might be today, but his score remained the same in both situations. After scoring two birdies followed by two double bogeys, he sat at 2 over par in seven holes. That may have caused him to quit.

Many of John Daly’s withdrawals have come out of anger, some out of frustration from poor performances, and on rare occasions, there have been no explanations. Below are a few of his infamous exits.

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John Daly’s history of withdrawals

In the 1998 FedEx St. Jude Classic, Daly famously withdrew from the event but didn’t sign off on his scorecard. Hence, he instead faced a disqualification. Then, during the 2008 Australian PGA Championship, Long John faced another disqualification after he threw his putter and ball into the water for disqualification.

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He had also directed verbal abuse towards a tournament official. Lastly, during the 2015 Senior PGA Championship, a poor start and a dispute over a golf cart led to his withdrawal from the major. At the 2011 Australian Open, he lost his cool for hitting the wrong ball. So he lashed out by hitting many golf balls into the water before walking out.

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So if Daly doesn’t end up giving a reason why he quit the $3 million PGA Tour Champions event, the 2026 Insperity Open, then it shouldn’t come as a surprise.

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Molin Sheth

2,124 Articles

Molin Sheth is a senior Golf writer at EssentiallySports and a key member of the ES Golf Trends Desk. He brings strong editorial judgment and a data-driven approach to uncovering the game’s overlooked angles, delivering insightful play-by-play reporting across golf’s four major championships. As part of the EssentiallySports Journalistic Excellence Program, an in-house initiative that mentors and develops writers through expert guidance and rigorous training, Molin works closely with industry-leading mentors to bring clarity and depth to a sport where precision matters and every shot tells a story. Molin comes from a diverse professional background that enriches his coverage. With extensive experience in digital marketing, content management, and quality assurance, he excels at optimizing processes and enhancing user experiences, skills that translate into delivering well-researched, engaging content efficiently. His roles in customer support, technical troubleshooting, and cross-functional collaboration have honed his problem-solving abilities and attention to detail. This comprehensive skill set allows Molin to approach golf reporting with a unique blend of creativity, analytical rigor, and operational excellence, ensuring his work resonates with both casual fans and serious golf enthusiasts.

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Riya Singhal

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