Tiger Woods Has Surprise Response to John Daly Using a Cart at PGA Championship
1991 PGA Championship winner John Daly made headlines last week when he was granted use of a cart for this year’s PGA Championship.
Daly has chronic knee problems and applied for use of the cart through the Americans with Disabilities Act. The request was granted, so while the other 155 competitors in the tournament will be walking up and down Bethpage Black, Daly will be riding in a golf cart.
That apparently isn’t sitting well with Tiger Woods, who has had his own share of injuries, including multiple knee surgeries. He was asked about Daly’s use of the cart during a pre-tournament news conference Tuesday on Long Island, New York.
“As far as JD taking a cart, well, I walked with a broken leg,” Woods said.
“I walked with a broken leg.”
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— PGA of America (@PGA) May 14, 2019
He was referring to the 2008 U.S. Open, which he won despite a leg injury that would require surgery.
Woods did have a bit of a smile when he made his comment, so it’s possible he was just teasing Daly, with whom he has a good relationship.
But there is also a clear advantage for Daly as he gets to navigate the 7,468-yard course in a cart while the rest of the field has to walk it.
An arthritic knee is difficult to manage, especially for a pro athlete. Daly said he struggles with elevation, and Bethpage Black goes as high as 125 feet.
“My knee is screwed,” he told The Associated Press. “I had the meniscus cut out. I have osteoarthritis so bad … I can walk up a hill. I just can’t walk down one.”
Woods isn’t the only one who is not a fan of Daly being granted the cart exemption. Six-time majors winner Nick Faldo also thinks Daly is getting an unfair advantage.
“Personally I think walking is a physical part of being a professional golfer, the physical element of walking and being able to do that,” Faldo said, according to the New York Post. “I’d keep it as simple as that.”
The good news for Woods and the rest of the PGA Championship field is that with or without a cart, Daly isn’t expected to contend.
He qualified for the tournament from simply being a former winner and is the No. 1,848 ranked player in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Daly hasn’t made the cut in any of the last six PGA Championships and has just one top-20 finish since 2005.
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