John Daly has been diagnosed with bladder cancer, according to a report from the Golf Channel.
On an episode of Golf Channel’s “PGA Tour Champions Learning Center,” the 54-year-old revealed he underwent a procedure to remove the aggressive cancer. Although the procedure was successful, Golf Channel reported Daly said there is still a possibility of recurrence.
“(My urologist) said there’s an 85 percent chance it comes back. So I’ve got to go back and see him in three months. They will probably have to cut it out again,” Daly said, according to Golf Channel. “It’s probably going to come back, and then another three months that you don’t know. You just don’t know.
“Luckily for me, they caught it early, but bladder cancer is something that I don’t know all the details. But it doesn’t look like it may go away. We will just see what happens. Maybe there’s a miracle.”
Daly, who won the 1991 PGA Championship and the 1995 Open Championship, addressed the reports Thursday evening.
“Hey All, thank you all so much for all the love, texts, (messages) & support thru this!” Daly wrote on Twitter. “It’s all still shocking for me but know I’ll do what I have in me to beat this! My whole life I’ve beaten the odds, so it’s NOT time to stop now!”
Hey All, thank you all so much for all the love, texts, msgs & support thru this! It’s all still shocking for me but know I’ll do what I have in me to beat this! My whole life I’ve beaten the odds, so it’s NOT time to stop now! Ready for 2020 to be fkn over! #gripitandripityall
— John Daly (@PGA_JohnDaly) September 11, 2020
The five-time PGA Tour winner said he was battling kidney stones and back pain for weeks ahead of his diagnosis, and added that he will change his eating habits and undergo frequent check-ups as he battles the disease.
At the forefront of Daly’s health changes are cutting back on Diet Coke and attempting to quit smoking.
“The doctors aren’t saying it’s too late. Unfortunately, it’s a cancer that keeps coming back. But I’m going to listen to them, and I’m going to try and quit smoking,” Daly said in the interview. “If it comes back, it comes back. Six months to a year, if it doesn’t go away, I’m going to live my life. I’m gonna have some fun.”
Despite the diagnosis, Daly remains optimistic.
“Well, you know what, I always tell people I’ve lived one hell of a life. No matter what happens, I’m not scared to die or anything,” Daly said. “It would have been nice to play the last seven or eight or 13 years of my career a little more healthy. But hey, I’m still working, I’m still living life, I’m still doing the things I need to do. … I can accept the challenge. I’m not scared of that. I just want my kids to be OK and everyone else in my family.”
Daly last competed on the Champions Tour in mid August at the Charles Schwab Series at Bass Pro Shops Big Cedar Lodge in which he withdrew after two rounds due to illness. Daly also competed at the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship in early August, where he finished T-70.
Daly also withdrew from the field at the PGA Championship in early August due to health concerns.
Golf Channel’s “PGA Tour Champions Learning Center” episode with Daly’s full interview airs Monday at 11:30 p.m. ET.
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