“IT band had severe swell up” – John Daly says ‘sorry’ to fans for withdrawing from the 2023 PGA Championship

Iconic longtime PGA Tour star John Daly will not be participating in the PGA Championship this year. He has had to withdraw from the competition due to an injury. According to his own account, he had a knee replacement a few months ago and is not physically ready to compete.

Daly tweeted:

"Sorry to WD from this year's PGA Championship but since my left knee replacement being only a few months ago …IT band had severe swell up! Gutted to miss my fans & people of Rochester! Wishing all the guys a great major week."

Former winners have invitations to the major tournaments for life. Daly took home the trophy in 1991 as one of his two major wins (he won the Open Championship in 1995 as well). That allows him to play every single year if he wants, but he is unable to do so this year.

He is not the only former champion to miss out this season, though. Tiger Woods won the PGA in 1999, 2000, 2006, and 2007 but he recently had surgery on his ankle and isn't going to make a surprise appearance.

Stephan Jaeger out of Germany, a six-time Korn Ferry winner, will replace Daly in the field. Daly has participated in five non-major tournaments over the past three years on the PGA Tour. Unfortunately, he hasn’t made a cut since the 2019 Barracuda Championship.

Daly was the ninth alternate in 1991 when he ended up winning at 25 years old. Thanks to that, he has lifetime invitations to the PGA Championship.

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Jon Rahm focused on PGA Championship, not Grand Slam

Bobby Jones is the only player to have won all four majors in a single year in the sport of golf. Only a few others have ever even won all four in their entire careers:

• Tiger Woods
• Jack Nicklaus
• Gene Sarazen
• Gary Player
• Ben Hogan

Jon Rahm has a chance to do that this year, as he started by winning the Masters earlier this season. Having won the US Open in 2021, he stands a chance to make it three of four and potentially start the run for the single-year Grand Slam.

Can Jon Rahm win the PGA Championship?

However, he's not worried about that. He's worried about the PGA Championship alone right now. He said via the official site:

“Obviously if I were to win this week or The Open Championship it really becomes a true reality. But winning two majors is not easy, and picking which ones you win is a little ludicrous to think about. I’d rather focus on the number of majors you win than having the Grand Slam per se.”

It would be a feat to win two majors in a year and Rahm knows that:

“It doesn't happen often that a player wins more than one major in a year, so it would be amazing to be able to join my name to that list.”

However, Rahm isn't trying to win because he can notch a rare milestone or inch closer to an all-time feat. He is trying to win because it's the next tournament and next major for him.