Little John was only 3 years old when John Daly first started teaching him golf, and now, 19 years later, Daly is one proud father. The father and son duo have always shared a special bond, and that has kept John Daly II motivated to pursue the same career as his father. Today, he has reached a major milestone in his professional debut, and his father couldn’t be happier.

Sharing a picture of his son from the La Paloma Course, Daly captioned his Instagram story with a special 9 words, “Couldn’t be more proud of you, bud! Love you!”

Daly has always been the biggest supporter of his son’s career ever since he started playing golf. He had already had the opportunity to see his son play a pro event when Daly II got an exemption in the 2026 Puerto Rico Open. Even then, Long John had shared how amazing it was to see his son play on the PGA Tour.

“It was awesome. He led the tournament for six holes there on Saturday, and he kept it going. He just had a bad back nine last night, but he’s been playing great. He finished fourth last week, and I think Eric won. The Hogs won in Houston, so they got a really good golf team,” Daly told a reporter.

Then, following his son’s win at the 2025 Southern Amateur Championship, John Daly celebrated his son and called himself “one proud daddy.” When Daly Jr. secured his second collegiate victory of the season at the Blessings Collegiate Invitational, Long John thought there was “nothing better than seeing your son pull off a win.”

Though John Daly was a big shot golfer, his son always saw him as a dad.

“Everybody in the golf world knows who my dad is, but I tell people this all the time: whether he had one major or 20 majors, to me, he’s just a dad; like, all we do is mess around with each other, have fun.”

After an impressive collegiate career at the University of Arkansas, John Daly II is officially a pro golfer now. He will tee off at the Tascosa Golf Club at 3:05 P.M. (EST) at the OccuNet Classic and fight for $1m purse. The Korn Ferry Tour event gave him his first opportunity to make his debut as a professional golfer.

Going back to his amateur career, he was once ranked the second-best golfer in the WAGR. Over the last 104 weeks, he has had two wins and a total of ten top-10 finishes. He also helped his team qualify for the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship 2026 before his trip to the Tascosa Golf Club.

Even though John Daly II is playing a Korn Ferry Tour event, he isn’t officially a member of the Tour yet. So how can he officially join the Tour?

What will John Daly II have to do to earn a Korn Ferry Tour membership?

If he ends up finishing high enough on the table to get into the top 100 of the KFT Points List, then he will earn a special temporary membership. Essentially, he will be granted multiple sponsor exemptions for KFT events for the remainder of 2026.

Moreover, Daly II will also earn a direct entry into the final stage of the PGA Tour Q-School later in the year. Having turned pro in the middle of the season, that is one amazing opportunity he wouldn’t want to miss.

This one is the inaugural edition of the event on the Korn Ferry Tour. Excited to be a part of the tournament, the 22-year-old revealed how “honored” he was to be making his debut in Texas. And it’s no surprise that his father was also quite emotional about it.

If John Daly II can up his game at the Tascosa Golf Club this weekend, then he might become a regular on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2026. That will certainly make John Daly a lot prouder!