Ryder Cup star ‘rips band-aid off’ in fiery PGA Tour return at The American Express

Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images

Daniel Berger is back on the PGA Tour at the American Express after a lengthy absence due to a back injury.

Daniel Berger returned to the PGA Tour this week at The American Express. He hadn't made a professional start since the 2022 U.S. Open due to extreme back pain.

In his first round back, the former Florida State Seminole carded a solid 4-under 68.

He collected six birdies and two bogeys on the round. His return has had him excited but also on edge to see if he was ready to play or not.

"You just have to rip the band-aid off after that amount of time and get out there," he said. "I played really well today, which was nice. I didn't hit any bad shots. The couple bogeys I made were two good iron shots. So, get better every day and get better every tournament — get into the flow of things and see the same people and do the routine that you're used to doing."

Daniel Berger making his first start since the 2022 U.S. Open. Here’s his tee shot off the 1st hole of the Stadium Course.

Berger dealt with back issues for the last 18 months but is back and finally feeling healthy this week. pic.twitter.com/Jbv08vCauy

— Paul Hodowanic (@PaulHodowanic) January 18, 2024

Berger spent more than a year letting his body heal itself. The pain started at the 2021 Hero World Challenge. At the time, he ranked No. 19 in the world and was part of that record-breaking Team USA Ryder Cup team at Whistling Straits.

"Mentally, I couldn't accept being in pain every day that I was playing, so at that point, I was like, this is not fun anymore," Berger said.

Now, he is essentially starting over as he ranks No. 664 globally.

However, if Thursday's round signifies anything, the bottom isn't that low for Berger. He admitted to only playing 10 rounds in the last six months, but that didn't matter.

An incredible start for Daniel Berger, who is making his first start since the 2022 U.S. Open.

He’s -4 thru 9!! #TheAmericanExpress pic.twitter.com/0QlkKjQIif

— Playing Through (@_PlayingThrough) January 18, 2024

Berger looked like his old self as he hit every fairway and green on the front nine and made the turn at 4-under. The back nine saw him cough up some shots, but still, for his first professional round back, it was a strong performance.

He will look to build off the momentum from Thursday into the next two days as Berger looks to make the third-day cut at The American Express.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.