U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 13, 2025

John Daly

The Olympic Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Have you seen all the John Daly signs around here?

JOHN DALY II: I've probably been here as a kid, but I don't really remember much. Yeah, it's awesome.

Q. Did you see the John Daly Boulevard driving up?

JOHN DALY II: I didn't see that, but I saw we're close to Daly City. That's pretty cool.

Q. It was named after a guy named John Daly. How did you play today?

JOHN DALY II: I hit it better off the tee. Made some good putts and just kept it in play.

Q. I saw yesterday there was a clip of you saying, I think it was on 8, There's no layup in our blood, or something like that.

JOHN DALY II: That was just all jokes from my dad. It's just something I wanted to do.

Q. I was curious, on that note, you probably get asked this a lot, but how would you compare and contrast your game with your dad's? I know your swing looks different.

JOHN DALY II: He's got two majors; I don't. I'm just trying to be the best version of myself.

Q. Is there anything crucial he's taught you over the years about handling pressure, about tournament play?

JOHN DALY II: I think just have fun. If you let yourself have fun, the nerves just kind of disappear and go away. It was really fun. It sucks I had to play Cooper. It's one of my good friends, but it was a fun match.

Q. And the grip it and rip it mentality, though, do you feel like you've inherited that or worked on that or you don't have it?

JOHN DALY II: I feel like you have to these days. Everyone hits it so far. There was a couple holes where I hit some really good drives on that were big and a couple I laid back on.

Q. What about handling annoying media people and the fame, did your dad talk to you about that? Obviously you're getting a lot more attention than the other guys out here.

JOHN DALY II: I mean, I don't know if he's taught me anything from like telling me, but just from watching his interviews and stuff, stuff like that, but yeah.

Q. What about mechanically? Anything you do that you try to emulate?

JOHN DALY II: A one-hand chipping. If my chipping is ever bad, I just hit a bunch of one-hand left-arm chips that somebody's taught me.

Q. Got it. What did that win at the Southern Amateur do for your confidence coming into this? This is your first U.S. Amateur, right?

JOHN DALY II: Second. I played last year, missed the cut.

No, the Southern was huge. It was awesome to play in front of my hometown friends, coaches, and just play our home course. That definitely boosted my confidence.

Q. What's been working with your game this week? Obviously I saw you drive the green on 7. You only win one hole, and everything else was kind of a grind.

JOHN DALY II: My putter honestly. Today I hit a lot of putts that didn't go in, and a couple of putts that were just begging to keep my confidence going. Overall, the first two days, just my putting. My putting saved me. I wasn't driving good at all, and I just grinded.

Q. First college win this spring, and like you said, you win the Southern this summer. Was there something that kind of changed in your game, something that kind of clicked? You've been playing your best golf as of late.

JOHN DALY II: I feel like when I first started, I was really close. A couple of bad shots here and there, but just trying to get more consistent off the tee. I've worked a lot on my wedges, like 120 and then just wedges and just keeping it in play off the tee.

Q. What do you enjoy off the course? Obviously it's working pretty well for you so far.

JOHN DALY II: I guess it's hard. There's no gimmes out there. I mean, 17 is the only kind of hole you feel like you should make birdie just because it's the easiest hole on the course. Yeah, I mean, this course is tough. I'm just happy to be here.

Q. Which holes are tougher to climb, the ones at Blessings or the ones here?

JOHN DALY II: I'd probably say Blessings. Here you still need to go up and you still need to go down. I would say Blessings for sure.

Q. I wanted to ask you about something specific. It was, I think, on 6. The missed putt to go 1-up. Then on 7 you drove through and absolutely pounded it. How do you stay so level headed? Even though a short missed putt, how do you just stay?

JOHN DALY II: All the putts I missed short, I hit the lines exactly where I wanted. The one on 6, it was a 360 lip-out. There's nothing you can do about that.

No, just made some key putts. There's a lot that I thought were tracking and might go in, just barely burned the edge.

Q. Obviously you two were talking a lot during the round. Does it make it easier for you knowing you know the guy across and how he plays?

JOHN DALY II: I mean, it was kind of funny because we both never made match play in the U.S. Am. We were both kind of new to the whole thing. We were curious, are we allowed to pick up balls and throw them back to each other if they're good? No, it was fun.

Q. Does the game plan shift at all for tomorrow? It could be 36 tomorrow. It could be definitely the longest day of the week unless obviously the final.

JOHN DALY II: No, just keep doing what I'm doing and see what happens.

Q. What's next for the afternoon?

JOHN DALY II: I'm about to go put some Normatec boots on in the locker room, which I collect, and I might get in the hot tub.

Q. Will you be talking to your dad?

JOHN DALY II: Yeah, I'll probably call him right when I'm done here.

Q. Is he coming?

JOHN DALY II: I don't know. He might be. I don't know. I don't think so, but he might be.

Q. You never know.

JOHN DALY II: You never know.