John Daly II had high hopes for his debut match at the 2026 Puerto Rico Open. However, following a difficult final round, he fell out of contention and finished at T37 with a total score of seven-under 281. 

There was a point in the tournament where the 22-year-old shared the lead after hitting a 5-iron on the green at the par-5 12. He made an eagle and that put him at 10-under. But on the next par-5, Daly three-putted for par from 75 feet. So, what went wrong?

The massive slip came at the 18th when Daly missed the green left after chipping a bit too hard and missed the par putt. This miss also ended his streak of 46 bogey-free back-to-back holes. And the blame went to the wind. 

On the front nine, Daly came over a bogey on par-3 second with three birdies on the fourth, sixth, and seventh holes.

But the momentum disappeared on the back nine as he bogeyed the 10th, followed by three straight bogeys on the 12th, 13th and 14th holes. Another bogey at the 16th effectively ended his chances.

Following the fourth round at the Grand Reserve Golf Club, Rio Grande, John Daly II said, “For sure it was the windiest day of the week so far. It was really hard to get the numbers right. But stayed in it well, hit some good shots. Sucks to make my first bogey in a while on 18. Hit a good second shot, just the wind let it rise in the air.”

But how does he feel after losing a chance to win his first PGA Tour event?

John Daly II Gets Honest About His Final Round at the Puerto Rico Open

It was certainly not the result that Daly wanted. But he was nowhere close to being upset with the outcome. 

“This has been an awesome week,” he told the media following the final round. “But no, I mean, the fans were great. I learned that you've got to put four rounds together and it's not easy out here. But very happy, not mad at all.” 

Daly showed excitement as he got ready to return to Arkansas and wrap up his senior season. He seemed to look forward to the National Championship.

With the experience he gathered from his debut PGA Tour event, can he rack another win in his amateur career? Tell us in the comments and read more at Daily Club Golf!

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu