8 Things You Didn't Know About John Daly II

The son of the two-time Major winner is beginning to make his mark on the game too

John Daly II takes a shot in the 2021 PNC Championship in Florida
(Image credit: Getty Images)

John Daly’s son, John Daly II (aka Little John) is following in his father’s footsteps and making a name for himself in the game. However, the younger Daly doesn’t just share a famous name with his dad. As the facts below show, he’s a chip off the old block in more ways than one.

1. John Daly II was born on 23 July 2003 to Daly’s fourth wife, Sherrie Miller. He is the youngest of Daly’s three children.

2. Daly II was showing plenty of interest in the game by the age of six, and four years later, he was playing in tournaments and accompanying his dad during his own events.

3. Daly II's dad's larger-than-life personality makes him a perfect fit for the Hooters brand, and it came as no surprise when it was announced in April 2022 that the veteran had signed as an ambassador for the US restaurant chain. What was perhaps more surprising was that Daly II joined his dad in the role!

4. The father-and-son duo famously beat Tiger Woods and his son, Charlie to the 2021 PNC Championship title, sending a strong message that he could be a player to watch in the future. That wasn’t his only high-profile event he was part of in the months to follow, though – Daly II also caddied for his father at the 150th Open.

5. That PNC Championship win wasn’t the only time the two had played together in the tournament. They also teamed up in five previous years, and finished in the top 10 in each, including runner-up in 2018.

6. Like his two-time Major winning dad, Daly II plays collegiate golf at the University of Arkansas. His dad played for the Razorbacks between 1984 and 1987.

7. Daly II has followed in his father’s footsteps in another way, too – his big-hitting style. Even as long ago as May 2020, when Daly II was just 16, his proud dad admitted to to TMZ Sports that his son outdrives him. He said: “I can’t keep up with him now. He hits it so far.”

8. In the same interview, Daly said that it’s not just his big-hitting that makes his son stand out – his short game is "phenomenal" too. He backed up that assertion a few months later when speaking to The Bleacher Report. He said: "He really does have a passion for the short game. He loves to putt and chip." In the same article, golf coach Nicky Duffy, who has worked with Daly II, said: "I mean, he's so freaking talented, it's stupid."

Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 


He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 


Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 


Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.