Golfer John Daly Loses Florida Home to Hurricane Helene: 'It's Devastating'
“I hope everyone gets safe and gets their homes back,” the professional golf player said
Press Association via AP
Golfer John Daly in a file photo from July, 2023.John Daly lost his Florida home to Hurricane Helene last week.
"You live in Florida, you have to understand that’s going to happen, but not like this. I didn’t think it would be this bad," the pro golfer said of the Category 4 storm that left at least 162 dead and hundreds missing across the Southeast United States.
Daly, 58, described the storm as "devastating" and "the worst I’ve ever seen."
“I hope everyone gets safe and gets their homes back,” he told PGATour.com while attending a PGA Tour Champions event in Timiquana Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla., on Wednesday, Oct. 2. “My heart just goes out to everybody.”
“It’s devastating … My heart goes out to everybody.”@PGA_JohnDaly lost his home in Florida due to Hurricane Helene.
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) October 2, 2024
Three homes belonging to close family and friends were also lost. pic.twitter.com/TdKxR3IqWs
According to PGATour.com, Daly visited the Clearwater, Fla., home that was destroyed sparingly, spending most of his time in Dardanelle, Ark.
"I just haven't even gone back into mine," said of the Florida property. "I restructured it, fixed it up. Hadn't been in it for two years; got all the stuff in there and then its all gone."
Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty
John Daly in a file photo from May, 2024.On Thursday, Sept. 26, Daly posted screenshots of Helene as the storm made landfall. In the post, he had an arrow pointing towards the Florida home, per Sports Illustrated. On Friday, Sept. 27, he posted that his family was safe, but "all our homes are not as water is pouring out of every crevice."
The following night on Saturday, Sept. 28, Daly was photographed in a private box watching the Alabama vs. Georgia game alongside former president Donald Trump at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Related: How to Help with Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts
Daly shared that his longtime fiancée Anna Cladakis and other loved ones were also impacted by Helene's devastation.
"We're going to have to redo about three, three-and-a-half homes. Almost four," Daly told PGATour.com. "Anna's mom lost her house. Matty's burned down yesterday morning and Chrissy had to get a boat to get to hers so they're all pretty much gone."
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Daly is competing this week at the Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS. The tournament has a $2.1 million purse.
A rep for Daly did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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