KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – It wasn’t quite the finish he’d hoped for, but John Daly put together four solid rounds at the 94th PGA Championship to capture his best finish at major since 2005.
“It’s baby steps for me,” Daly said after a final-round 3-under 69 to finish T-18. “I’m slowly but surely getting more and more confidence because I’m making a lot of cuts. Whether you play great on a weekend or bad, at least you’re playing competitive. That’s what I need, whether it’s 15 weeks in a row, 20 weeks in a row; I’ve always been a guy that likes to play a lot, anyway.”
This performance comes on the heels of a T-5 at last week’s Reno-Tahoe Open, all giving Daly confidence that he can reach his ultimate goal – claiming a full-time PGA Tour card for the 2013 season.
“I just feel like I’ve got a great rhythm,” he added. “It’s nice to know that if I can just make a few extra putts, maybe one or two more a round, I can be in contention.”
Daly posted rounds of 68-77-73-69 in the tournament he won back in 1991. He said afterward that the second-round 77 – in strong, blustery winds – was probably his best round of the week.