John Daly doesn’t practice.
That’s what the 60-year-old major champion said Saturday when asked if there was anything he’s worked on recently that led him to shoot bogey-free, 9-under 63 in the second round of the PGA Tour Champions Dick’s Open — his lowest career round on the senior circuit.
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“I haven’t seen a driving range in five years, no,” Daly said. “I don’t work on my golf game.”
John Daly of the United States hits his tee on the second hole during the second round of the DICK’S Open 2026 at En-Joie Golf Club on June 27, 2026 in Endicott, New York.
A day after posting 1-over 73, the man nicknamed Long John blitzed En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, New York, climbing more than 50 spots on the leaderboard and into the top 10. He opened the round with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 1 and 2, then made eagle at the eighth to make the turn in 4-under 33. The back nine saw even more fireworks from Daly, as he carded five more birdies to finish off his day.
En-Joie was the site of Daly’s first non-major PGA Tour victory all the way back in 1992, and more than 30 years later, he’s still feeling the good vibes on property.
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“I love everything about it. For me, I’ve been a cutter of the ball for about 20-something years now. It’s tough because I used to — when I won here in ’92, I was hitting about a 20-yard draw and hitting it about 360 off the tee, which this really favors a draw. It’s tougher for me because everything sets up for a draw. Like the par 5s draw right to left, so it’s harder for me. Plus, I don’t hit it as far as I used to, so I’m not hitting 8-irons into these par 5s like I did back then. I’m barely getting to them. It’s a lot tougher golf course. And the golf course is in great shape. It’s probably the longest it’s played.”
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Not only is Daly feeling at home on the course, he’s also feeling the love from the fans in attendance this week at the Dick’s Open, with a big gallery following him throughout the week.
“I’ve always loved [the fans],” Daly said. “There’s no skeletons in my closet. When I screw up, I screw up and I tell them. When I do things good, they see it. I’ve never lied to my fans. I think a lot of them relate to the life that I’ve lived and some of the ups and downs that I’ve had. We just connect so good and it’s been that way for 35 years. I wouldn’t change it for the world, I love them.”
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Daly has just one PGA Tour Champions victory to his name, which came at the 2017 Insperity Invitational. He’s made five cuts in six starts so far this season, his best finish being a T-17 at the American Family Insurance Championship earlier this month.
Nick Stavas is a digital producer and commerce writer for Golfweek. Follow him on X/Twitter (@nickstavas).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: John Daly fires bogey-free 63 at Dick’s Open, his career low on PGA Tour Champions
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