Healthy Again, Berger Secures U.S. Open Return After Two-Year Absence
By Hannah Mack, Sports@CJC
JUPITER, Fla. — The crowd surrounding the ninth green roared with applause after Daniel Berger sank a putt to end his long day of golf. It wasn’t an ordinary reaction. It acknowledged that after nearly two years away from the course, Berger was back.
After a second-place finish in Monday’s 36-hole, final-round qualifier for the U.S. Open at The Bear’s Club, Berger will compete in his first major championship since the 2022 Open. A lower-back injury frustratingly sidelined Berger for 19 months. Although Berger is ecstatic about returning, he’s even happier about his health.
“It means a lot [to return to the U.S. Open.] It feels good,” said Berger, 31. “I feel great, which is really the only thing that I care about at this point. But then to compete and just play golf is special, too.”
This will be Berger’s ninth trip to the Open, but this was only the second time he needed to qualify. While most golfers may worry about qualifying, Berger was excited about the process.
“Well, it was actually kind of fun for me,” Berger said. “I hadn’t done it in a long time, so it kind of reminded me of being fresh out on Tour. I kind of looked at it as a positive, when some people tend to stress out over it. So, to me, it was fun.”
Berger, who played collegiately at Florida State and currently resides in Jupiter, has competed in eight PGA Championships, eight U.S. Opens, five British Opens and five Masters Tournaments, but he has never won a major. His best finish in the Open was a T6 in 2018 at Shinnecock. He also finished T7 in 2021 at Torrey Pines.
This will be his second appearance at a U.S. Open in Pinehurst. He made his Open debut there in 2014, shooting a final-round 66 to finish T28.
After his long hiatus, Berger returned to the PGA Tour in January’s American Express tournament in La Quinta, California, where he finished T39. This week, the experienced Tour pro entered the qualifier with a slightly different mindset than before.
“You care, but you try not to think about it and just play golf,” said Berger, who has four career PGA Tour victories. “I think that was the result from this morning.”
Nobody was hotter than Berger to start the day in Jupiter. He was significantly ahead of the pack finishing 7-under 65, with six birdies and an eagle on No. 12. A home-course advantage with a familiar crowd served Berger well.
“I just relied on my caddie,” Berger said “He gave me great energy and great vibes the whole day. It was nice to have my friends and family out there. So any time I hit a bad shot, I just looked over at them and felt better.”
The second round, however, proved to be more of a struggle. Berger, who began his second round on No. 10, birdied No. 12 again before back-to-back bogeys on 15 and 16. He finished with three birdies and three more bogeys in his final nine holes to cap a 1-over 73 round and finish T2 at 6-under for the day.
While the bogeys allowed competitors to close the gap on Berger, he stayed patient and continued his routine.
“I drank a lot of water and tried to stay patient since I knew it was going to be a long day,” Berger said.
The lead he established in Round 1 allowed for a cushion towards the end of the 36 holes. Berger felt less pressure due to his early stellar performance.
“I did everything well [in the first round],” Berger said. “I hit it well, I putted it well, I chipped it well. It was nice to get off to a good start and take some pressure off of this afternoon.”
Although Berger sat atop the leaderboard for most of the day, his long-time friend and competitor, Matt Kuchar, earned medalist honors at The Bear’s Club, thanks to a brilliant second-round 67.
“I’m really excited to have clipped Daniel Berger. I would’ve been disappointed if that guy beat me at anything,” joked Kuchar, a fellow Jupiter resident.
The friends roomed together last week at the Canadian Open before missing the cut. However, that allowed them to have enough time to travel back home to Jupiter and prepare for Monday’s qualifier. Kuchar said it’s an “added bonus” that they played well at The Bear’s Club.
For Berger and Kuchar, both now will look to continue their comebacks at the 2024 U.S. Open.
Category: Covering the U.S. Open
Tagged: 2024 U.S. Open Covering the U.S. Open
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