John Daly hits tree root, may have torn ligaments in right elbow

Eight years and a bunch of lost golf balls have passed since John Daly last won a worldwide event, but there was reason to believe after the way Daly started his 2012 season that he could be on the verge of finding his golf game for the first time in a while.

After starting the year off in Qatar with a fourth place finish, his best finish since 2009, there was reason for optimism when Daly teed it up in at the Avantha Masters looking for his third straight made cut of the year.

But in typical Daly fashion, things took a rough turn on Thursday, after Daly’s club caught a buried tree root on his second shot on the par-5 ninth hole. Daly said on his Twitter account that his “elbow snapped” on the follow-through, which you know is never a good thing.

While he was able to finish the round, his 7-over 79 put him in next-to-last place; even though he’s still listed as being in the tournament field, Daly’s injury update on Twitter noted that European Tour doctors believe there could be torn ligaments in his right elbow.

no bones are broken, possible torn ligaments according to European Tour Docs–getting home for X-rays! Back 9 painful to play–hit a root coming down on #9 & snapped my elbow! #jarredbad #hunginthere

— John Daly (@PGA_JohnDaly) February 16, 2012

You have to feel bad for Daly. Two strong finishes don’t equal a comeback, but there were some positive vibes going on that made you believe he was onto something. It’ll be interesting to see how much this injury affects his game going forward.

Update: Daly has reportedly pulled out of the tournament and is heading home to have the elbow examined by a doctor.

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