John Daly flees Tampa as Hurricane Milton approaches – days after Helene destroyed his home
Golf legend John Daly has evacuated Tampa, Florida, as Hurricane Milton approaches, just weeks after revealing that Hurricane Helene had destroyed one of his family homes. The 58-year-old golfer shared the news on Instagram, posting a message to his followers on Wednesday. “Here we go again,” Daly wrote. “Sending prayers for all of us who…
Golf legend John Daly has evacuated Tampa, Florida, as Hurricane Milton approaches, just weeks after revealing that Hurricane Helene had destroyed one of his family homes. The 58-year-old golfer shared the news on Instagram, posting a message to his followers on Wednesday. “Here we go again,” Daly wrote. “Sending prayers for all of us who have family, friends, and neighbors threatened today by #Milton. I cannot believe this is happening again—everyone, please be safe! #weevacuated #prayforflorida.”
Along with his message, Daly shared an image of a radar map, highlighting the area where he lives. He indicated that the storm was expected to make landfall around 8 p.m. local time on Wednesday evening. Forecasts predict the eye of the storm will hit Tampa around midnight, bringing intense rain with an estimated two inches falling per hour.
“It’s devastating,” Daly said in an interview with PGATour.com. “It’s the worst I’ve ever seen. I hope everyone stays safe and can recover their homes. My heart goes out to everybody. Living in Florida, you know hurricanes are part of life, but not to this extent. I never imagined it would be this bad. I’m just thankful that everyone is healthy—that’s the most important thing.”
Daly noted that while one of his homes was destroyed by Hurricane Helene, his family had not been living there at the time, as they are primarily based in Arkansas. After Helene hit, he posted on Facebook, “For everyone who has reached out, my family is safe, but our homes are not. Water is pouring in from every corner. It’s a total loss and devastation after living here my whole life. I still can’t believe all that we’ve lost, but we are SAFE, and everything else can be replaced. Praise God!”
The golfing community has also been affected by recent hurricanes. Footage from earlier this week revealed the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene at Augusta National, one of the world’s most famous golf courses and home to The Masters. The hurricane, described as “catastrophic and historic,” caused severe damage to the normally immaculate grounds of the exclusive club.
The impact of Helene was felt across several states, including South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. Officials continue to fear that the death toll will rise as more areas are assessed. After making landfall in Florida, Helene moved quickly through Georgia, before drenching the Carolinas and Tennessee with heavy rainfall.
One particularly hard-hit area was the small mountain town of Swannanoa in North Carolina, where locals have described their community as being “entirely erased” by the storm.
While the recovery process is just beginning for many, Daly’s focus remains on ensuring the safety of his loved ones and encouraging others to do the same amid the threats posed by Hurricane Milton.