This week's Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi will be Daniel Berger's 22nd start on the 2024 PGA Tour. But it hasn't been an easy season for the former Ryder Cup star.
He has missed the cut 11 times and has zero top-10 finishes. His best finish was a tie for 13th at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May. Still, Berger feels lucky enough to be playing after nearly 18 months with a back injury. The 2022 U.S. Open in Brookline was his last professional start until he tees it up at American Express in January of this year.
Now, Berger is back at Jackson Country Club playing 36 holes in a PGA Tour event. He shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday and another 65 on Friday to sit at the halfway mark of 14 under. Berger briefly held the lead. At one point, he trailed Bo Hossler by one stroke.
After the second round, the four-time PGA Tour winner made a sensational entrance.
“This is probably the first time I can say I'm 100 percent,” Berger said after the round.
“In the last few weeks I’ve been feeling great, playing a lot of golf at home with my players, progressing with my golf and feeling more like myself, and that’s reflected in what I’m seeing right now. .”
What he sees is extraordinary. He currently ranks second in the world in total strokes gained and has yet to record a bogey.
“I'm just trying to have fun and enjoy myself,” Berger added.
Daniel Berger is leading the way in Jackson.
LFG! ! !
Danny's victory will be an incredible story of redemption and one of the best stories of the year. pic.twitter.com/1pgOvDhPfB
— Jack Milko (@jack_milko) October 4, 2024
“It seems to be going well so far. My dad was out with me this week, so it felt like a normal week at home. That's usually when I play my best. .”
If you've been following golf for the past few years, you know that the sport has been turned upside down. The rise of LIV golf has fractured the sport and forced the PGA Tour to make several changes, including the creation of signature events to allow top golfers to play alongside each other.
But Berger hasn't competed in the signature event, having been sidelined for nearly two years. Therefore, he was forced to play in some unfamiliar tournaments. Then again, at least he's healthy enough to do so.
“It was very difficult at first,” Berger said.
“The landscape of golf has changed between when I was off and now. The tournaments I'm in – I haven't been in this year, but I would have been in the past. So this… I'm playing new events I've never played before, going to places I didn't have on my schedule, changing golf coaches, hiring new caddies, etc. Making all these changes makes it even more difficult. I’ve just been digging in, being patient, and trying to enjoy the process.”
Perhaps that explains why Berger struggled in the first half of 2024.
“You can't take almost two years off and come back and be successful right away. That can be difficult,” Berger added.
“Right now I'm just having fun, that's when I play my best.”
Hopefully, the best is yet to come for Berger.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
