'Played the Last 4 Holes With a Broken Finger': Daniel Berger’s Gritty Revelation About His Injury

What he initially expected to be four to five weeks in a splint turned into a three-month recovery because of the location of the injury.

Due to this, his 2025 season came to an early end at the BMW Championship, leaving him outside the top 30 required to advance to the season finale at East Lake Golf Club. 

The four-time PGA Tour winner did not return to competition until November, when he made his comeback at the 2025 RSM Classic. This week, the signs of that return appeared at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge.

Daniel Berger Takes Control at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge With Opening 63

And soon after, he delivered one of the early scores of the week. Playing at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Daniel Berger opened the tournament with a 9-under 63 on Thursday, placing himself at the top of the leaderboard after the first round.

Along the way, he made nine birdies, three on the front nine and six more on the back, finishing the round without a bogey. The score also placed him one shot short of the course record shared by Gary Player, Andy Bean, Greg Norman, and Adam Scott.

By the end of the day, Berger held a three-stroke lead over Collin Morikawa and Ludvig Åberg, both of whom finished the round at 6-under.

And for Berger, the round was part of a process of finding rhythm again after time away.

“I think the biggest thing for me is just getting in a bit of a rhythm,” said Daniel Berger. “I missed all of the fall. I broke my finger at the BMW, so I took basically four months off. When you come back, you’re just getting back into the flow of things and into your routine.”