It is common for 50-somethings to battle knee injuries. Rarely, though, do those ailments become global discussion points.

Conversely, nothing about John Daly, 53, or his career has been routine. So it was apropos the two-time Major winner’s knee problems and appeal for the use of a golf cart led to a spectacle at the PGA Championship and a spirited rebuff from the R&A for the Open Championship, and fuelled a conversation about the rights of physical disabilities and what situations constitute those liberties.

At this year’s Military Tribute at The Greenbrier tournament, Daly confirmed he has bi-compartmental degenerative arthritis in his right knee, a condition that requires a knee replacement. “The doctor says it’s got to be done,” Daly said.

Overnight, Daly underwent surgery on the troubled joint in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Aside from the PGA Championship, Daly made four official appearances on the PGA Tour in 2019, logging starts at the Barbasol Championship and Barracuda Championship at the end of last season and the The Greenbrier and the Safeway Open to begin this campaign, using a cart at each event under the Americans with Disabilities Act. He regularly played on the PGA Tour Champions, which allows its players to use golf carts during competition, making 18 starts this past year.

He has not walked in an official event since the European Tour’s Omega European Masters last year.