After lacking the reduce on the 2022 U.S. Open at Brookline, Daniel Berger didn’t make a PGA Tour begin for practically 18 months. A again harm debilitated him for this era, throughout which he labored by way of the ‘worst six months of his life.’
He returned to competitors finally 12 months’s American Categorical within the Coachella Valley, the place he tied for thirty ninth — a stable outcome contemplating the circumstances. The previous Florida State Seminole went on to play 26 extra occasions and made 15 cuts in 2024, displaying flashes of brilliance that earned him a spot on the 2021 Ryder Cup group.
Nevertheless it took him some time to search out his groove and regain each facet of his sport. He lastly feels one hundred pc wholesome, and his latest kind displays that. Berger arrives at this week’s Cognizant Traditional on the Palm Seashores contemporary off a T-2 end on the WM Phoenix Open and a solo twelfth on the Genesis Invitational.
Earlier than the primary spherical, Berger spoke with the media and revealed which a part of his sport took the longest come again.
“I might say undoubtedly membership head pace,” Berger mentioned Wednesday.
“Over a 12 months in the past, I used to be swinging like 106 miles an hour, which doesn’t translate into lengthy drives. That took me in all probability eight or 9 months to get again as much as the excessive 119 and 120s. So now I really feel like I can compete with the opposite guys. It’s an enormous benefit to hit the ball — I’m not lengthy by any means, however to get into that 300 carry quantity was large for me, and with the ability to take some bunkers out of play that six months in the past I wasn’t in a position to do, now I’m hitting a ton of fairways. I feel statistically, I’ve been fairly excessive up there the final couple of years in driving accuracy and whole driving, so enjoying out of the green has been large for me within the final 12 months.”
Berger averaged 298 yards off the tee final 12 months, good for 118th on the PGA Tour.
This 12 months is a distinct story. He has already added 9 yards, averaging 307 yards off the tee within the 5 occasions he has performed this season. His driving distance common at present ranks 62nd on the PGA Tour, a stark enchancment from final 12 months. He defined that taking a distinct strategy to his coaching can also be a big purpose why he has regained his pace.
“I employed a brand new power and conditioning coach with a ton of expertise in that. I practice fully in a different way than I did earlier than. I by no means actually favored understanding. It was by no means actually one thing that I loved doing. Now I understand how vital it’s for my well being and for my total golf sport,” Berger defined.
“I do rather a lot much less heavy lifting, and I do much more pace coaching the place I’m actively making an attempt to maneuver quick and fireplace shortly, and I feel even simply training hitting balls laborious, I by no means used to go to the driving vary and tee up 10 balls and hit them as laborious as I might. You stand up to a par-5 and go, ‘I’m going to hit this as laborious as I can,’ however when you’ve by no means executed that earlier than, you don’t have that muscle reminiscence and that fast-twitch in your mind to fireplace at that pace. So simply doing that extra typically has translated.”
If you’re a golfer and ever maintain a again harm like Berger, endurance is required at the start. It can take time to rediscover each nuance of your swing, however the very last thing to return will undoubtedly be your distance, which makes all of the sense on this planet.
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By way of. Observe him on X @jack_milko.
