John Daly II Makes the Cut in His First Start as a Pro at the Mexico Open

It has been a long time since the name John Daly appeared on a PGA Tour leaderboard, and this week it appeared twice over: once in the preview, and once on Friday evening, on the right side of the cut line. John Daly II shot a 4-under 67 on Friday at the VidantaWorld Mexico Open to make the cut in his first start as a professional, Golfweek reports, with an eagle and four birdies on his second nine carrying him into the weekend among the 68 players who survived.

What did Daly II do on Friday?

He played his way into the weekend the hard way, after starting it with a bogey. Golfweek reports Daly II opened Friday with a bogey at the 10th hole, then made eagle at the 13th and birdied the 1st, 5th, 7th and 8th on his second nine to shoot 67. The cut fell at 4 under, the field started with 120 players, one withdrew along the way, and 51 were sent home on Friday evening, Golfweek reports. Daly II was not among them, and for a player in his first week as a pro, that is the whole story.

The Friday round also showed the shape of his game right now. The eagle at 13 and the four birdies say he can score in bunches, and the single bogey on his second nine says he can limit the damage when a round starts badly. Golf is full of debut weeks that end on Friday, and this one did not, because one nine-hole stretch went the right way at the right time.

Is this really his debut as a pro?

Yes, and the distinction matters. GOLF.com reports Daly II is making his second career Tour start at the Mexico Open and his first as a pro, having previously teed it up at the Puerto Rico Open in March, where he made the cut. The Head Pro adds the detail that completes the picture: he finished tied 37th at Puerto Rico as an amateur, and he is the 2025 Southern Amateur champion, making his first start as a professional this week after turning pro this summer.

He played Thursday alongside Marco Penge and Ben James, teeing off at 10:44am ET from the first tee, GOLF.com reports. That grouping put him in front of the cameras from the start, which is unavoidable with his surname, and it also put him in a field full of players fighting for the same thing he is: a card for next season.

Why does one made cut matter so much?

Because the FedExCup Fall is a standings race, not just a tournament. Golfweek reports the Mexico Open is a crucial event for many players angling for a 2027 PGA Tour card, with FedEx Cup points on the line through the fall series, and 68 golfers advancing to chase those points. For an established player, a made cut is routine. For a player in his first season as a pro, it is points, prize money and status, and it keeps the season moving in the right direction.

The context of the week makes the point sharper. Andrew Novak leads at 14 under after a 10-under 61 on Friday, Golfweek reports, three shots clear of five players at 11 under, including amateur Kihei Akina. Daly II is a long way back from that lead, and this article does not pretend otherwise. But the target for his debut week was never the trophy. It was the weekend, and he reached it, while past champions and higher-ranked players did not: Tony Finau, a past champion here, missed the cut at 3 under, and Wyndham Clark, the highest-ranked player in the field, finished at even par, Golfweek reports.

What does the Daly name mean here?

It means attention, and a record that is starting to stand on its own. GOLF.com describes Daly II as the son of the two-time major champion with the same name, and notes it has been a long time since that name appeared on PGA Tour leaderboards. The younger Daly has now made the cut in each of his first two Tour starts, one as an amateur and one as a pro, and he did it this week on a course that has already produced one of the season’s strangest stories, the wrong-ball blunder shared by Tom Kim and Brian Campbell.

That shared-tournament link is worth noting for a different reason. Kim and Campbell’s week turned on one bunker, two balls and two penalty strokes, while Daly II’s week turned on one nine-hole stretch of scoring. Golf weeks are decided by small margins, and the Mexico Open has already shown both kinds this week: the youngest Korn Ferry graduate to earn a PGA Tour card made his news by doing everything right at the right time, and the hole-in-one that won a BMW in Spain showed how one swing can change a week for the better. Daly II’s Friday was quieter than either, but it belongs in the same ledger: one good stretch, at the right time, in a week when it counted.

What happens next?

The weekend at Vidanta Vallarta, where Daly II now plays for fall-series points rather than survival. The watch items are his Saturday and Sunday scores, any comment from him on his debut week as a pro, and his next PGA Tour start. The tournament’s own rules subplot is not finished either: the Koepka lie that was seen and not reported remains the season’s other reminder that golf’s honour system only works when someone is paying attention, and Daly II, for one Friday at least, paid attention to the only thing that mattered, which was making the cut.