This week’s Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi marks Daniel Berger’s twenty second begin on the PGA Tour in 2024. Nevertheless it has not been a simple season for the previous Ryder Cup star.
He missed 11 cuts and has posted zero top-10s to this point. His finest end got here on the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Might, when he tied for thirteenth. But, Berger feels lucky sufficient simply to be taking part in after a again damage troubled him for almost 18 months. The 2022 U.S. Open at Brookline was his final skilled begin till this previous January, when he teed it up at The American Specific.
Now, on the Nation Membership of Jackson, Berger is again the place he belongs: contending at a PGA Tour occasion by way of 36 holes. He fired a 7-under 65 on Thursday and adopted that up with one other 65 on Friday to sit down at 14-under on the halfway level. Berger briefly held the lead at one level however now trails Beau Hossler by a stroke.
After his second spherical, the four-time PGA Tour winner supplied a sensational admission.
“That is in all probability the primary time I can say I’m 100%,” Berger mentioned after his spherical.
“The final couple weeks, I felt my finest and performed a bunch of golf at dwelling with the blokes, and I’m hitting it additional and simply feeling like myself extra. That’s translating into what I’m seeing now.”
What he’s seeing is large. He’s presently second among the many area in total strokes gained and has but to file a bogey.
“I’m simply making an attempt to have some enjoyable and luxuriate in myself,” Berger added.
Daniel Berger has the lead in Jackson.
LFG!!!!
A win for Danny can be an INCREDIBLE story of redemption and considered one of THE tales of the yr. pic.twitter.com/1pgOvDhPfB
— Jack Milko (@jack_milko) October 4, 2024
“Appears to be working to this point. My dad was out right here earlier with me this week, so it has felt like a traditional week at dwelling. That’s normally once I play my finest.”
When you’ve got adopted golf over the previous few years, you realize the game has been turned the other way up. The rise of LIV Golf has splintered the game whereas forcing the PGA Tour to make some adjustments, akin to creating Signature Occasions to make sure high golfers play alongside one another.
However Berger has not performed in a Signature Occasion as a result of he missed almost two years. That compelled him to play in some unfamiliar tournaments; then once more, at the very least he’s wholesome sufficient to take action.
“To start with, it was extraordinarily tough,” Berger mentioned.
“The panorama of the golf world has modified from once I took break day to the place I’m now. The tournaments that I’m in—I wasn’t on this yr, however I might’ve been in earlier than. So I’m taking part in new occasions I by no means performed earlier than, going locations I by no means had on my schedule, altering golf coaches, and having new caddies. You add all this variation, and it simply turns into difficult. I’ve simply tried to dig in, be affected person, and benefit from the course of.”
Maybe that explains why Berger struggled throughout the first half of 2024.
“While you miss almost two years, you don’t come again and see instant success, it may be difficult,” Berger added.
“Now I’m simply having enjoyable, and that’s once I play my finest.”
Hopefully, the perfect for Berger has but to return.
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By. Make sure you take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You’ll be able to observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as properly.
