Almost a year and six months later, Daniel Berger will be making his comeback on the greens. The 30-year-old had been injury-ridden and in rehabilitation for quite some time. After an abrupt stop in 2022, his return will mark a new phase in Berger’s golf career.

The aching injury had hindered Berger’s path to the expected success that he wished for. As he now gears up to play on the PGA Tour again, let’s explore what the injury was and how the four-time PGA Tour winner overcame his health struggles.

Daniel Berger’s road to recovery 

Daniel Berger’s prolonged health struggle started after a successful Ryder Cup run in 2021. The four-time PGA Tour winner had taken a break after the patriotic battle to look after his health. Berger noticed a prominent bulge on his lower back, which surfaced due to a sacroiliac joint sprain.

Later that year, the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am champion teed up at the Hero World Challenge, despite the excruciating back pain. The 30-year-old went into the next season, and despite his back injury worsening with each passing day, the golfer participated in the Sentry TOC and the early January events. The injury finally took a toll on Berger, as he had to take a step back from the course and was unable to defend his title at Pebble Beach.

Coming to the 2022 U.S. Open in June, his condition worsened, and to cope with the pain, Berger started taking two ice baths a day before he could tee it up. Furthermore, Berger revealed to AP News that even sitting in the car to travel to the course had become a painful struggle. After the missed cut at the U.S. Open, Berger took a long-needed rest. He found the help of Luke Donald and connected to Stuart McGill, a professor of biomechanics of the spine.

Since then, Berger has made much progress with his injury. After more than a year of not playing golf, The X-handle GOLF INJURY REPORT shared that Daniel Berger’s name is among the golfers who will be competing at the American Express next week. A few hours ago, the PGA Tour also confirmed his name on the Amex field. After such a long hiatus, where does the 30-year-old golfer stand in terms of his world ranking?

Daniel Berger’s OWGR rank explored

Before the injury, the trajectory of Berger’s career was pointing upward, with 38 top-10 finishes and 23 top-5 finishes, including a T5 at the Memorial Tournament. Through his impressive performance on the course, the 2020 Charles Schwab Challenge winner was able to secure the 12th spot on the OWGR. Moreover, when he left for rehabilitation in June 2022, Berger was still ranked 25th in the world.

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However, things have changed since then. During Berger’s nearly eighteen-month hiatus, many new faces have joined the golf world, and his rank on OWGR has taken a drastic dip. Once 12th on the board, the 30-year-old now stands at 634th. It looks like Berger needs an exceptional run on the PGA Tour in 2024. Only then might he achieve his previous rank and get himself in the Top 20 of the best golfers again.

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