Daly Jr. debuts with 70 at Puerto Rico Open: Young golfers shine

In his PGA Tour debut, John Daly Jr. had an easier day and a much more favorable golf course than his father. The 22-year-old, son of John Daly, started the Puerto Rico Open with a round of 70 strokes, two under par, where the young talents stole the show. Chandler Blanchet led the leaderboard with an impressive card of 64 strokes, eight under par, his best mark on the PGA Tour, surpassing by one stroke Gordon Sargent, former number one of college golf who has struggled in recent years.

“It was good. I feel like I left some strokes on the course, but I made up for it with some good saves and a good chip-in on the 16th hole,” Daly commented.

John Daly Jr.

John Daly, PGA and British Open champion, made his first appearance in a PGA Tour-sanctioned tournament almost 40 years ago. However, that event was at Shinnecock Hills, not Grand Reserve, and it was the 1986 US Open, not an alternate event in Puerto Rico. Daly Sr. signed a card of 88 strokes in that first round. Another young man who captured attention was 18-year-old Blades Brown, who played in the final group with Scottie Scheffler, the world number one, when he won The American Express. Brown started with a round of 69 strokes, his sixteenth time under 70 in 34 rounds on the PGA Tour.

Miles Russell, the 17-year-old from Florida and one of the best amateurs in the world, signed a card of 71 strokes. Zhou Yanhan, from China, also 17 years old, scored 72 strokes. Zhou won seven times on the China Tour last year. Blanchet earned his PGA Tour card through the Korn Ferry Tour last year, with two victories, including the circuit’s Tour Championship. However, his start in the big leagues has been slow, missing the cut in the five tournaments he has played. Blanchet hopes to learn a lot from those free weekends, and said he hoped to face more challenges, such as dealing with the short putts he misses. He wants to strengthen himself mentally to face that situation.

“I missed a five-foot putt on the first hole and looked at my caddie and he said, ‘This is our test.’ I handled it well,” Blanchet said. “Then I made some good birdies on the following holes. Yes, a really solid day.”

Chandler BlanchetEugenio Chacarra, who began his professional career in the Saudi-backed LIV Golf in 2022 and became the first player from the rival league to obtain a sponsorship exemption on the PGA Tour, started with 73 strokes. The winner of the Puerto Rico Open gets a spot in The Players Championship and the PGA Championship, as well as a two-year exemption on the tour. However, they do not qualify for the Masters.