John Daly Had Emergency Hand Surgery That Has Left Him in the Hospital
John said fans shouldn't be concerned about his recent hospital visit.
Published Jan. 15 2025, 10:33 a.m. ET
Few golfers have made a name for themselves in quite the same way that John Daly has. While golf tends to be a sport of relative quiet, John has defied that tradition, even as he has also been less than consistent on the golf course.
Following a recent update on his social media feeds, though, many are concerned about John's health. Here's what we know about what happened to him, and why he appears to be in the hospital.
What happened to John Daly?
In a Story on Instagram, John announced that he had to have emergency hand surgery in Florida.
“Emergency hand surgery… thankful [it] went great and Doc McClimans for taking care of me. Be back playing in no time!" he wrote in the caption accompanying a photo of him with his thumb up in a hospital bed. We don't know exactly why John needed the surgery, but based on his post, it seems like it won't hinder his golf game in the long term.
In a follow-up post, John took time to thank the doctors and hospital staff who had made his operation a success.
“Thank you to Doc McClimans for getting me mended back!” he wrote. “Should be hitting em again soon! Thx for all the messages.”
This is not the first time that John has dealt with a serious health complication. He is known for being reckless with his health, and even for smoking and drinking while on the course.
John's emergency hand surgery was not his first medical issue.
In 2020, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. He underwent surgery at the time to remove the cancer, but told the PGA website that there was a strong chance it would return.
“Luckily for me, they caught it early, but bladder cancer is something that I don’t know all the details,” he said. “But it doesn’t look like it may go away. We will just see what happens. Maybe there’s a miracle.”
John also had his home destroyed by Hurricane Helene.
It's only been a few months since John lost his Florida home in the devastation that followed Hurricane Helene. John said that several members of his friends and family also had their homes ruined by the storm.
“I’m just glad everyone is healthy, that’s the main thing,” he told the PGA Tour. “You live in Florida, you have to understand that’s going to happen, but not like this. I didn’t think it would be this bad.”
Throughout these various trials and tribulations, John has maintained loyal support inside the golf community. Some fans also joked about John's lax approach to his own health in the comments under the post about his hand surgery.
"Bro just needs a Diet Coke and a cigg and he’s good," one person wrote.
"Get this man a Diet Coke and a lung dart asap and he’ll be good as new," another person added.
Clearly, John's fans believe in his mythic powers. At least this time it seems like he'll make a speedy recovery.