{"id":70733,"date":"2025-08-15T17:31:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T17:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/70733\/"},"modified":"2025-08-15T17:31:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T17:31:10","slug":"the-kids-got-game-too-john-daly-iis-us-amateur-run-continues-his-breakout-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/70733\/","title":{"rendered":"The kid’s got game, too: John Daly II’s US Amateur run continues his breakout season"},"content":{"rendered":"

John Daly II, son of the two-time major champion, certainly has the blessing of golf genetics, and he has long used those genetics to be a very good golfer, playing on the University of Arkansas team just like his father. But this week at the US Amateur, where Daly has advanced to the quarter-finals, is the latest example that the son might have what it takes to be a great player.<\/p>\n

RELATED: The best photos of John Daly being John Daly<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe game\u2019s feeling good. My putter has been the key to my play this week honestly,\u201d Daly said after defeating Daniel Bennett, 3 and 2, in the Round of 16. \u201cI\u2019ve been putting really good. I\u2019m reading them well and excited to see putts fall in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, along with the blessing of having an accomplished parent is the burden of constant comparison. It\u2019s fitting, then, that Daly is enjoying a breakout season by embracing dad\u2019s free-swinging spirit while also recognising that in order to become a great golfer, he needs to forge his own identity in the sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got two majors; I don\u2019t,\u201d Daly said earlier in the week when asked to compare his game to his dad\u2019s. \u201cI\u2019m just trying to be the best version of myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he is. After rounds of 74-67 in stroke-play at The Olympic Club, Daly safely advanced to match-play in a championship that his dad never competed in. In his first-round victory over close friend Cooper Claycomb, Daly didn\u2019t lose a hole. Daly drained a 30-footer for birdie on the 17th hole to finish off his Round of 32 opponent, reinstated amateur Nate Smith. Daly went 4 up throuigh nine holes in his Round of 16 match.<\/p>\n

\"John<\/p>\n

[Eakin Howard]<\/p>\n

The strong play in San Francisco is the latest in a series of top finishes for Daly. This past season for the Razorbacks, Daly led the team in scoring average (72.21) and earned his first collegiate victory. A few months later, competing against one of the strongest fields in amateur golf at the Northeast Amateur, Daly came in third, bested only by this week\u2019s medalist and World No.4-ranked amateur Preston Stout and 16-year-old phenom Miles Russell, who is also in the quarter-finals at The Olympic Club.<\/p>\n

But it was Daly\u2019s five-stroke victory at the Southern Amateur in July, played at Arkansas\u2019 home course Blessings Golf Club, that confirmed his breakout was no fluke.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Southern was huge,\u201d said Daly, who entered the week ranked 21st in WAGR and will surely move up with his performance this week. \u201cIt was awesome to play in front of my hometown friends, coaches, and just play our home course. That definitely boosted my confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through his first few seasons as a Razorback, Daly was a good, if not great, player who regularly posted top-25 finishes but rarely contended. The recent improvement, he says, is a combination of tightening up his ball-striking and learning how to better handle pressure.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like when I first started [the season], I was really close,\u201d said Daly. \u201cA couple of bad shots here and there but just trying to get more consistent off the tee. I\u2019ve worked a lot on my wedges and just keeping it in play off the tee.\u201d<\/p>\n

A convincing win for John Daly II \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n

He takes down Daniel Bennett 3 and 2 to punch his ticket to the quarterfinals. pic.twitter.com\/cQhu2Icqj5<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 USGA (@USGA) August 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Some advice from his dad about how to deal with intense on-course situations has also been important, especially during intense weeks like at the US Amateur. \u201cJust have fun,\u201d said Daly about what his dad taught him about handling pressure. \u201cIf you let yourself have fun, the nerves just kind of disappear and go away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daly\u2019s breakthrough is the latest from a group of kids of top professionals who are beginning to make names for themselves. Charlie Woods, son of 15-time major champion Tiger, bested a stellar junior field earlier this year at the AJGA\u2019s Team TaylorMade Invitational before qualifying for the US Junior Amateur for the second year in a row. Earlier this spring, European Ryder Cup hero Ian Poulter\u2019s son, Luke, won his first college event in his second season as a Florida Gator. Poulter also advanced to matchplay this week in San Francisco, before losing in the Round of 64.<\/p>\n

Daly will play 17-year-old Georgia commit Mason Howell in the quarter-finals on Friday, with each just two wins away from an expected invitation to the Masters.<\/p>\n