Daniel Berger is ready to return to competitive golf. The American, who has not played on the PGA Tour since the 2022 US Open at The Country Club in Brookline (Massachusetts) due to a back injury, is registered to play the American Express next week in La Quinta (California), as revealed by Golf Channel and later confirmed by the PGA Tour.
Berger said in May that he was diagnosed with a slight bulge in a lower disc and deep bone sensitivity, and that he had been following a rehabilitation program created by Canadian professor Stuart McGill, an expert in spine biomechanics. He signed up for last year’s US Open final qualifier in southern Florida, but eventually withdrew before making a shot.
He was ranked 25th in the world the last time he played. Now he is in position 634 and will compete outside of a category for tournament winners (he is exempt until 2024), although without guaranteed starts in the Majors or in relevant tournaments.
“That’s the hard part,” Berger assured the AP agency in May. “When I took time off, I was among the top 20 players. I’ll come back with nothing. I understand, it’s part of the game. You have to earn everything. When I come back, I’ll come back with fire in my belly. I’ll enjoy the challenge of trying to get where I was,” he pointed out. Berger also posted a swing video on his Instagram account this past Thursday.
The 30-year-old player has four victories on the PGA Tour; the last one came at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2021. He also represented United States in two team events: the 2017 Presidents Cup and the 2021 Ryder Cup.
