Quick Facts
Biography
Daniel Berger (born April 7, 1993) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. After turning pro at age 20 in 2013, he won the FedEx St. Jude Classic in both 2016 and 2017 and the Charles Schwab Challenge in 2020, the first PGA Tour tournament played after a three-month hiatus, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Early years
Berger was born in Plantation, Florida.His parents are Nadia and Jay Berger, a former tennis pro (ranked seventh in the world in 1990), coach, and head of men's tennis for the United States Tennis Association. His paternal grandmother, Roslyn "Cookie" Swift Berger, was an accomplished amateur golfer who was inducted into the Greater Buffalo, New York Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. He has two brothers and a sister.
Berger lived in Key Biscayne for about ten years before moving with his family to Jupiter, Florida, where he began taking golf seriously. He began to play golf at age 11 or 12, and had his first hole-in-one at age 13. He graduated from William T. Dwyer High School in 2011, though he did not play high school golf.
He played college golf at Florida State University in Tallahassee. There, in the spring of 2013 he won both the SunTrust Gator Invitational and the Seminole Intercollegiate, and that season he led the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with a 69.36 stroke average. He tied for second at the 2013 NCAA Golf Championships as a sophomore, and was named a two-time first-team All-American by the Golf Coaches Association of America and Golfweek, and named to the All-Nicklaus team, All-ACC team, and PING All-Region team. He turned pro after his sophomore year, at age 20.
Professional career
In late 2013, Berger qualified for the Web.com Tour and played four events. The following year, he finished T2 at the TPC Stonebrae Championship and ranked 15th in the season-long Web.com Tour standings, which earned him a promotion to the PGA Tour for the 2014–15 season.
In March 2015, Berger shot a 6-under-par 64 in the final round of the Honda Classic to get into a sudden-death playoff, which he lost to Pádraig Harrington. Had Berger won, it would have been the second-largest final round comeback in PGA Tour history; he began the final round nine strokes behind 54-hole leader Ian Poulter. Three weeks later at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Berger made a double eagle at the par-5 sixth hole during the third round. During the 2015 season, Berger made the cut in 17 of 31 events, had six top-10 finishes, including two seconds, and was the only rookie to make the Tour Championship field in late September. He finished 11th in the FedEx Cup rankings, 25th on the money list (earning over $3 million), and was the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.
Berger gained his first PGA Tour win in June 2016 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic near Memphis, which moved him to 29th in the Official World Golf Ranking. He earned $1.1 million.
At the beginning of the 2017 PGA Tour Season, Berger began using Callaway clubs and balls after switching over from TaylorMade, which he used in his first two seasons on tour. Later that season, Berger successfully defended his FedEx St. Jude Classic title and moved to 24th in the world. By July, he was ranked 20th in the world.
At the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Berger shot a third-round 66, putting him in a 4-way tie for the lead with Dustin Johnson, defending champion Brooks Koepka, and Tony Finau. However, a final round 73 left Berger in a tie for 6th place, 5 shots behind eventual winner Koepka.
On June 14, 2020, Berger won the 2020 Charles Schwab Challenge. This was the first PGA Tour tournament back after a three-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Berger won the tournament when Collin Morikawa missed a very short putt for par on the first playoff hole. With the victory he was ranked No. 31 in the world.
Personal life
Berger currently resides in Jupiter, Florida, and is also a member at Shelter Harbor Golf Club in Rhode Island.
Amateur wins (4)
- 2009 FCWT National Championship
- 2010 Florida State Match Play Championship
- 2013 Gator Invitational, Seminole Intercollegiate
Professional wins (3)
PGA Tour wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jun 12, 2016 | FedEx St. Jude Classic | 67-64-69-67=267 | −13 | 3 strokes | Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker |
| 2 | Jun 11, 2017 | FedEx St. Jude Classic | 70-68-66-66=270 | −10 | 1 stroke | Kim Meen-whee, Charl Schwartzel |
| 3 | Jun 14, 2020 | Charles Schwab Challenge | 65-67-67-66=265 | −15 | Playoff | Collin Morikawa |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015 | The Honda Classic | Pádraig Harrington | Lost to par on second extra hole |
| 2 | 2017 | Travelers Championship | Jordan Spieth | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 2020 | Charles Schwab Challenge | Collin Morikawa | Won with par on first extra hole |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T10 | T27 | T32 | ||
| U.S. Open | T28 | T37 | CUT | T6 | |
| The Open Championship | CUT | T27 | CUT | ||
| PGA Championship | CUT | T73 | CUT | T12 |
| Tournament | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |
| PGA Championship | T71 |
| U.S. Open | T49 |
| The Open Championship |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 11 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 4 (2016 Masters – 2017 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (twice)
Results in The Players Championship
| Tournament | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | CUT | T9 | T65 | T57 | T67 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Results in World Golf Championships
| Tournament | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | T28 | T16 | T14 | |
| Match Play | T61 | T39 | T59 | |
| Invitational | WD | T17 | T48 | |
| Champions | T11 | T2 | T24 |
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
WD = Withdrew
"T" = Tied
U.S. national team appearances
Amateur
- Palmer Cup: 2013 (winners)
Professional
- Presidents Cup: 2017 (winners)