Forgotten man of the PGA Tour announces return

For all the talk of who won’t be playing on the PGA Tour this season, commissioner Jay Monahan can be heartened by the imminent return of one of the US-based circuit’s forgotten stars.

Daniel Berger will make his first start in over 18 months when he pegs it up in next week’s American Express at La Quinta.

The 30-year-old, four times a winner on the tour, has been sidelined with a back injury since the 2022 US Open.

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Berger revealed last year that he had been diagnosed with a bulge in a lower disc and deep bone sensitivity. Together with Canadian biomechanic Stuart McGill, he has been gently rehabbing the injury and, finally, looks set to return.

At the time of his last start, Berger was ranked 25th on the OWGR but has since slid to 63rd. His tournament winner’s status means that he is exempt for this season but has no guaranteed starts in either the majors or ‘signature’ events.

Speaking to the Associated Press last year, the 2021 Ryder Cup winner said: “When I took time off, I was a top-20 player. 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. I’ll enjoy the challenge of getting back to where I was.”

A former PGA Tour ‘Rookie of the Year’, Berger won his first title at the 2016 FedEx St Jude Classic and successfully defended the title the following year.

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He then endured a three-year winless drought before winning the Charles Schwab Challenge in June 2020. Eight months later, he won his most recent title, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. That helped him secure a place on the US Ryder Cup team later the same year.

Berger’s return to the American Express adds a touch of star power to an event that has lost its defending champion, Jon Rahm, who has been suspended by the PGA Tour following his decision to join LIV Golf.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor