Daniel Berger is set to make his return to competitive golf.
The 30-year-old Berger, who hasn’t played a tournament since missing the cut at the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club because of a back injury, has entered the field for next week’s American Express, GolfChannel.com has learned
Berger told The Associated Press last May that he was diagnosed with a slight bulge in a lower disc and deep bone sensitivity, and he had been following a rehab program created by Canadian professor Stuart McGill, an expert in biomechanics of the spine.
He signed up for last year’s U.S. Open final qualifier in South Florida, but he eventually withdrew before hitting a shot.
Berger was No. 25 in the world rankings when he last teed it up. He is now No. 634, and is playing out of a category for tournament winners (he’s exempt through 2024), though with no guaranteed starts in the majors or signature events.
“That’s the tough part,” Berger told the AP. “When I took time off, I was a top-20 player. I’ll be coming back with nothing. I get it – it’s part of the game. You’ve got to earn everything. When I come back, I’ll come back with fire in my belly. I’ll enjoy the challenge of getting back to where I was.”
Berger also posted a swing video to his Instagram story on Thursday. The AmEx begins Thursday at three different courses in La Quinta, California.
As for the rest of the field, a week after more than half of last year’s Korn Ferry Tour and Q-School graduates were shut out of the Sony Open, not all of them are currently in the 156-player AmEx. Hayden Springer, the fifth and final Q-School grad, was first alternate as of Thursday evening.
