John Daly: Two-time major winner diagnosed with bladder cancer
September 11, 2020 adminLeave a Comment on John Daly: Two-time major winner diagnosed with bladder cancer
Golf icon John Daly, who used to drink 28 cans of Diet Coke and smoke 40 cigarettes EVERY DAY, reveals he has bladder cancer and has been left hoping for 'a miracle' as it threatens to return despite successful surgery
Daly, 54, was told he had bladder cancer during kidney stones appointment
Two-time major winner underwent surgery but the cancer is likely to return
Daly used to smoke 40 cigarettes a day and drink 28 cans of Diet Coke
Golfer insists he is trying to cut down on the smoking following his diagnosis
By Adam Shergold for MailOnline
Published: 03:48 EDT, 11 September 2020 | Updated: 04:52 EDT, 11 September 2020
Two-time golf major winner John Daly – who used to smoke 40 cigarettes and drink 28 Diet Cokes a day – has been diagnosed with bladder cancer.
Though Daly underwent successful surgery, he says there is 'an 85 per cent chance it comes back', leaving him hoping for a 'miracle'.
The 54-year-old American, who won the 1991 PGA Championship and the 1995 Open at St Andrews, is well known for puffing away on a cigarette out on the course.
American golfer John Daly, 54, who formerly smoked 40 cigarettes a day as well as drinking 28 Diet Cokes, has been diagnosed with bladder cancer
Daly sips on a drink during a tournament last year – he said he drinks 28 Diet Cokes each day
Daly was diagnosed with the cancer during an appointment to look for kidney stones
But having received the cancer diagnosis after visiting the doctor for kidney stones and back pain, Daly, who has battled other issues such as alcoholism, plans to reform his health.
'I'm cutting way, way back on the Diet Coke and counting minutes before I can have a cigarette. I'm trying to quit smoking,' Daly told the Golf Channel.
'The doctors aren't saying it's too late. Unfortunately, it's a cancer that keeps coming back.
'But I'm going to listen to them, and I'm going to try and quit smoking. If it comes back, it comes back.
'Six months to a year, if it doesn't go away, I'm going to live my life. I'm gonna have some fun.'
Daly won two majors during his career – including The Open at St Andrews in 1995 (pictured)
Daly said that he's 'not scared to die or anything' and insists he wants to continue playing for as long as he is able.
'It would have been nice to play the last seven or eight or 13 years of my career a little more healthy,' he admitted.
'But hey, I'm still working, I'm still living life, I'm still doing the things I need to.
'I can accept the challenge. I'm not scared of that. I just want my kids to be OK and everyone else in my family.'
Daly insists he intends to continue living his life to the full despite the cancer diagnosis
On his diagnosis, Daly added: '[The doctor said] it doesn't look like any stones are in there. But, unfortunately, you have bladder cancer.
'After I did the CT I was fixing to sip on my Diet Coke I got from McDonald's and he said, "Don't drink anything. We have to get you back in here and get this cancer out of you."
'Luckily for me they caught it early, but bladder cancer is something that I don't know all the details.
'But it doesn't look like it may go away. We will just see what happens. Maybe there's a miracle.'
Tagged dailymailgolfsport
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