“I couldn't accept being in pain every day” - Daniel Berger opens up on his back injury as he returned to competitive golf after 18 months
Daniel Berger made his return to competitive golf on Thursday, January 18. The 30-year-old golfer teed off at The American Express 2024, his first start since missing the cut at the 2022 US Open. Berger carded a first-round 68 at PGA WEST’s Pete Dye Stadium Course and settled for a T54 finish on Day 1.
For the unversed, Berger made the comeback after spending nearly 18 months on the sidelines after suffering a back injury. The four-time PGA Tour winner’s pain began in his lower back during the 2021 Hero World Challenge. However, he pushed on with the pain and finished T5 at The Sentry, fourth at The Cognizant Classic, T13 at The Players Championship and T5 at the Memorial Tournament in the 2022 season. He finally gave in when the pain became unbearable. Berger disclosed that he “couldn't accept being in pain every day.” At first, he’d spent months in rehab to let his body “heal itself.” However, he was later forced to choose surgery which sidelined him for over a year.
Talking about his injury period after his opening round at The American Express, Daniel Berger said, as quoted by PGATOUR.com:
“Mentally, I couldn't accept being in pain every day. You have to figure out ways to kind of be in your own mind and be okay with not being able to do the stuff. That was the hardest part.”
The PGA Tour pro revealed that he traveled to Canada for treatment under spinal specialist Stuart McGill, as suggested by European Ryder Cup skipper Luke Donald.
Daniel Berger also added:
“Western medicine, I think, tends to lead you on more of that path (to surgery). I think if you don't mess with your body, it finds a way to heal itself. In the beginning, I was trying all these different things and not knowing which one was helping me and which one was making me worse. So, finally, when I just cut the variables down to one or two, and I could find out, okay, this is what made me feel better, that's when I started to really start to stack good days on each other.”
Daniel Berger eyeing a strong comeback at The American Express 2024
Berger was World No. 19 when his injury first materialized in December of 2021. He was part of a record-setting US Ryder Cup Team and was on his way to play all of the 2023 Signature Events. However, his position has dropped ever since his surgery. The golfer is currently ranked 664th in the world.
The PGA Tour pro, sidelined at the peak of his career, has expressed his wish to return to the top of his game.
Daniel Berger said, as quoted by PGATOUR.com:
“I'm kind of starting at ground zero.”
As of his The American Express round on Thursday, Berger started from the bottom and slowly rose. The golfer hit every fairway and green on the front nine, making the turn in 4-under. It’s noteworthy that Berger is likely to make the cut and finish in the top half this weekend.