John Daly II, the 22-year-old son of two-time major winner John Daly, sits three strokes behind the lead after the third round of the Puerto Rico Open. The University of Arkansas senior, playing as an amateur sponsor exemption, carded a 70 to reach 9 under par, tying for eighth place. Leader Ricky Castillo holds a one-shot advantage at 12 under following three straight 68s.
The Puerto Rico Open, held at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, serves as an opposite-field event to the Arnold Palmer Invitational. John Daly II, ranked 54th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, is making his PGA Tour debut this week. He opened with a 70, followed by a 5-under 67 on Friday, and posted a third-round 70 on Saturday despite windy conditions. Daly briefly tied the lead with an eagle on the par-5 12th hole using a 5-iron, but a bogey on the 18th—his first in 46 holes—left him at 9 under.
"It was solid," Daly said afterward. "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. Oh, well, it was a good day."
Daly's coach at Arkansas, Brad McMakin, praised his progress. Early in college, Daly struggled as a walk-on freshman, shooting 83 in his only tournament and redshirting the next season. After swing adjustments and work with his father and former assistant Barrett Lais, he broke through last spring with three top-10 finishes, including his first college win at the Columbia Spring Invitational. That performance helped the Razorbacks reach an NCAA regional. In the summer, Daly finished third at the Northeast Amateur, won the Southern Amateur, and reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur.
A win would qualify Daly for The Players Championship next week, but he would need to turn professional, as the event does not allow amateurs. He could not accept the $720,000 winner's share from the $4 million purse. The Puerto Rico Open awards fewer FedEx Cup points, so a victory would not earn a Masters invitation.
Other young players are also contending, highlighting the rise of the next generation. Eighteen-year-old pro Blades Brown shot 69 to sit one shot back, while 17-year-old Miles Russell made the cut and stands tied for 45th at 3 under. Kihei Akina, a BYU freshman, is tied for 13th. Tournament director Matt Truax granted 14 sponsor exemptions, mostly to amateurs like Daly. As PGA Tour chairman Tiger Woods noted last month at the Genesis Invitational, "We’re trying to create opportunities for that turnover coming from the PGA Tour [University]... because eventually they’re going to take over the game."
