Two-time major champion John Daly will not compete in the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club, opting instead to play in the Regions Tradition, the first of five majors on the PGA Tour Champions, scheduled for the same week, May 15-18, in Birmingham, Alabama.
The decision, confirmed by the PGA of America on Tuesday marks only the second time since his 1991 PGA Championship victory that Daly, a past champion with a lifetime exemption, has missed the event, the first being in 2020 due to pandemic-related restrictions.
Daly, 58, cited his preference for the Regions Tradition, where he feels more competitive and enjoys strong support from sponsor Regions Bank.
“I can go there [the PGA Championship] and miss the cut and get $6,000,” Daly told ESPN, referencing the low payout for missing the cut at last year’s PGA. “But I’m playing Birmingham. I love Regions. They’re a great sponsor.
“But why are they scheduling Regions the same week as the PGA Championship, where I can see Brooks [Koepka] and all the guys?”
The scheduling conflict, exacerbated by the crowded May golf calendar and the Regions Tradition’s avoidance of Mother’s Day weekend, has drawn criticism from Daly and others, as the Senior PGA Championship follows just a week later at Congressional.
The 1991 PGA Championship winner, known for his “grip it and rip it” style and colorful persona, has struggled in recent PGA Championships, withdrawing from the 2024 event at Valhalla after an 11-over 82 due to a thumb injury and missing the cut in 2022. His best PGA finish since his Crooked Stick triumph remains a T32 in 2005.
In contrast, Daly has been a regular on the PGA Tour Champions since turning 50, with one victory (2017 Insperity Invitational) and a T60 at last year’s Regions Tradition, his best finish in seven 2025 starts. The Greystone Golf & Country Club, a par-72, 7,249-yard course, suits Daly’s long-hitting game, though he was disqualified there in 2022 for failing to sign his scorecard after a four-putt double-bogey.
Daly’s absence from Quail Hollow, a 7,600-yard par-71 known for its demanding “Green Mile” (holes 16-18), is notable given his fan appeal and history at the event. His 1991 victory as the ninth alternate, driving overnight to Crooked Stick and winning by three shots, remains one of golf’s most iconic underdog stories. However, recent health challenges, including emergency hand surgery in 2024 and ongoing arthritis requiring a golf cart under the Americans with Disabilities Act, have limited his PGA Tour competitiveness.
Daly joins fellow past PGA champion Rich Beem in skipping Quail Hollow, with Beem citing a lack of preparation time for the lengthy course. Other absentees include Davis Love III, recovering from heart surgery, and Y.E. Yang.
