Does John Daly still have cancer? Golfer's diagnosis and progress explored

US golfer John Daly is widely considered one of the most flamboyant personalities in golf. His personal life scandals are as discussed as his surprise 1991 PGA Championship victory.

In 2020, Daly announced that he had fought against bladder cancer. He underwent surgery to remove the tumor, but doctors think a relapse is possible.

Initially, John Daly believed he had a kidney stone, and he said so while speaking to Golf Channel on a PGA Champions Learning Episode. However, it was only later that his urologist made a disheartening revelation. His urologist told him that it wasn't the kidney stones causing him back pain but that he had bladder cancer.

However, John Daly said the cancer was treatable.

"The only positive is this cancer is treatable, but I’m probably looking at chemo for the next five to seven years.

The first chemotherapy session that Daly attended was very hard for him.

"The first chemo kicked my butt. I’m just praying maybe they got it."

He talked about his recovery and treatment on the FULL SEND PODCAST in 2021.

"The problem is the tumors big, so on has been great. I mean, I got Dr. Ball here in Tampa. He’s awesome. So I go every six months to get checkups now instead of every three months. Do it for five more years."

He added that although the treatment and check-ups were painful, he was lucky that his cancer was detected early.

"They put a catheter in me, right in my you-know-what. They put a camera in there. And if they need to treat it, they put a jigsaw in there and cut it out. It sucks. And then you – when you pee for seven to 14 days, it hurts. It hurts. But my cancer, I’m lucky that it was caught real quick."

In 2020, John Daly acknowledged how painful the entire process and treatment would be.

"Learned an awful lot in the last week about it. It’s something that a lot of people have beaten and can get through it but it’s going to be painful but three months, three months, six months, a year, it’s going to be pretty painful how they do the operations so 80-85 percent chance it comes back and I’ll be getting it done in November again."

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"Everything I love to eat and drink causes the stones that causes the cancer" - John Daly

John Daly at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship - Previews (Image via Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

After being diagnosed with bladder cancer, John Daly had to change his lifestyle, particularly his diet and other habits. He had to cut down on all the things he loved to eat because they caused the stones that caused the cancer. Daly also had to reduce his Diet Coke consumption severely.

Daly may have many wrong eating habits, but he was glad he didn't like energy drinks.

"Everything I love to eat and drink causes the stones that causes the cancer. Alcohol. Beef. Milk. Diet drinks. I’ve tried to cut back on the smokes. Thank God I don’t like energy drinks because they’re the worst."

Although Daly had to cut back on his smoking, he was found lighting a few cigarettes in 2020. He answered that it was a slow process, and his doctor was okay with that.

"I feel confident if I do what they tell me to do — hell, I only smoked six cigarettes, not even six cigarettes out there today. It’s usually about a pack and a half so I’m trying to slow everything down but I can’t just quit everything right now and [the doctor’s] cool with that."

One thing that surprised the world was John Daly competing at Sanford International in 2020, right after his surgery to remove his cancer. He said playing was a mental distraction from all the stress and pain.

He even took part in the PNC Championship with his son John Daly II and won it by two strokes over Tiger Woods and his son Charlie.

"[My doctor] didn’t really say just sit at home. He didn’t really recommend I be playing, either. I figure I can’t just sit at home, it’s just going to get in my mind and it’s going to make me feel worse, so going to try to keep playing as much as I can. I’m going to go back home after this week and go see the doc again."

However, Daly deserves appreciation for keeping a positive front. Despite the diagnosis, painful therapy, and surgery, he was still smiling.

"I’ve got to [smile], man. We’ll beat it, I’ll beat it."

Indeed, John Daly's willpower, determination, positivity, and mental strength are inspiring and something everyone can learn from. Hopefully, he will tackle cancer soon and gets healthy again.