Why John Daly is allowed to ride in a golf cart at the PGA Championship - but his golf clubs can't!

John Daly is back at the PGA Championship, with fans asking why the golf veteran rides a golf cart without his clubs.

On opening day, a photo of the 58-year-old driving his cart around the course at Valhalla went viral on social media. However, many were puzzled by the caddie carrying his clubs on foot.

While not used often, carts are allowed in the PGA Tour Championship, with various restrictions on their usage. For instance, players may not have their bags on their cart, and their caddie is not allowed to drive the cart unless specified by tournament officials - therefore explaining Daly's viral picture.

While carts are mostly green-lighted in the tour, some bigger events and the majors take exception to the rule.

The usage of carts has received its fair share of backlash as contestants pointed out how it can provide a competitive advantage. Last year, Paul Goydos claimed to see players in carts wrongfully scouting the course during tournaments.

A picture of John Daly riding a golf cart at the PGA Championship went viral on Thursday 

The PGA rules indicate that while Daly can drive a cart, he can not have his clubs on it 

The 58-year-old teed off at 8:32 am on Thursday with Lee Hodges and Robert MacIntryre 

'I've seen players drive their carts to the green, survey it, then walk back to their ball and play,' Goydos wrote on X, responding to a fan asking about the disadvantage of walking. 'They leave their carts by the green. Short par 4s.'

Daly rides the cart due to his arthritis keeping him from walking any longer than six holes on the course.

'I hope I don't get a lot of grief from the fans,' Daly said in 2022.

'My knee is screwed. I had the meniscus cut out. I have osteoarthritis so bad. I can walk up a hill. I just can't walk down one,' he continued.

After getting his request to ride a cart approved by the PGA of America two years ago, Daly became the first player to do so at a major since Casey Martin in 2012. Casey also rode a cart at the 1998 US Open.

Daly teed off at 8:32 am on Thursday with Lee Hodges and Robert MacIntryre in his 547th PGA Tour event. Over his career, he collected five wins, three top-3, 23 top-5, and 35-top ten finishes.

The University of Arkansas product won the PGA Championship in 1991, the same year he joined the tour.