A golf pro is returning to action after missing nearly a year. Daniel Berger is planning to take part in the U.S. Open final qualifying at Pine Tree Golf Club in Boyton Beach, Florida on June 5, as mentioned by the Golf Channel. The last time Berger played competitively was in the second round of the 2022 U.S. Open, and he missed the cut by two strokes. He has missed more than 300 days due to a back injury and has dropped from 25th to 136th in the World Rankings.
Berger noticed pain in his back after taking a hiatus from golf following the Ryder Cup in 2021. He played through the pain in 2022, and while he made 12 starts, Berger had to withdraw from the event at Pebble Beach. Ultimately, Berger decided to take himself out of action following the U.S. Open.
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“I was taking two ice baths a day to get on the course,” Berger said in an interview with the Associated Press. “That (stuff) is scary. You start to wonder if this will last forever when no one is telling you what’s going on.” Berger got an MRI on his back and it came back clean.
Berger did rest and rehab for four months, but the pain was still there. Things changed with Luke Donald offered Berger a book by Stuart McGill of Canada, who specializes in biomechanics spine. Berger reached out to McGill which led to him taking a trip to Canada in December. McGill noticed that Berger had a slight bulge in his lower disc while also detecting deep bone sensitivity. He gave Berger and program to follow and has seen improvement over the last few months.
Berger has won four PGA Tour events in his career and was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for the 2014-2015 season. His last win came in 2021 when he participated in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California. “When I took time off, I was a top-20 player,” Berger said. “I’ll be coming back with nothing. I get it — it’s part of the game. You’ve got to earn everything. When I come back, I’ll come back with fire in my belly.”
