How does it feel when your body doesn’t permit you to do one thing you love the most? Daniel Berger knows a thing or two about it. The PGA Tour Pro has been removed from golf for 19 months due to chronic back pain. “Sitting, standing, doing any type of daily chore s**ks,” because you use your back for everything, Berger said at the press conference after the first round of the American Express. 

At La Quinta on Thursday, making a comeback after 19 months, the American international posted a 4-under 68, carding six birdies on the way. Berger is tied at 54 with another returnee Will Zalatoris. Predictably, the 30-year-old had to face a slew of questions about his injury after his ‘second coming’ on the greens. Berger went into detail to answer each.

Daniel Berger was ‘out of touch’ for long

There was a time when Berger “didn’t really touch a club for about like seven, eight months.” But to make sure his game doesn’t get rusty, Beger would hit a few balls occasionally. How fast was the progression going?

The 30-year-old revealed, “It’s like you hit 10 balls one day, wake up, see how you feel the next day. If you feel good, you hit 12 balls. Wake up, feel good, you hit 15 balls.” If you thought it was a gradual day-by-day rehab, there is a caveat. Berger is quick to point out that it was never a “linear kind of recovery.” 

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There are multiple ups and downs in the journey. Berger relapsed at times. Sometimes, the Florida native had to concede. But being patient is the key. Berger said in the media interaction, that to recover from back pain, you have to be “patient and work your way slowly.” The reason is pretty simple.

“The crazy thing is,” Berger adds, “the body finds a way to heal itself if you don’t mess it up, so that was the biggest key for me.” It’s not that he doesn’t feel the pain anymore, but it’s a lot less. Notably, Berger also had to adopt a new approach, both in his life and in his game, to recover.

What are the fallouts of the injury blow?

To Berger, “The biggest thing was the swing.” The Florida native had to forego the swing that earned him four titles in as many years, to take the pressure off his back. In fact, the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am winner has roped in a new coach as well.“That made a big difference,” the American international noted.

2024 American Express: How To Watch, TV Schedule, Live Stream, And More

In addition, his schedule has gone through an overhaul. There is “no more going out there at 9:00 in the morning and swinging 120.” For Daniel Berger, it is a part of his recovery plan. He has to reach the ground earlier than usual, do his practice, and then be ready to switch gears.

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