'This is probably the first time I can say I'm 100 percent': Daniel Berger chasing lead at Sanderson Farms Championship

It was about a year and a half of working on a return.

But Daniel Berger came back this season, returning in January at The American Express after a lengthy stint on the sidelines with a back injury. There’s been a couple of top-25 finishes so far in 2024 but through two rounds at the Sanderson Farms Championship, there is a little throwback twinkle in his eyes after rounds of 65-65.

Now Berger is one back of the late-Friday lead held by Beau Hossler.

And better than the spot on the board is Berger’s spot with his health.

“This is probably the first time I can say I'm 100 percent,” Berger said. “There is always that thought in the back of your head, am I good, can I swing as hard as I want? The last couple weeks I felt my best and played a bunch of golf at home with the guys and I am hitting it further and just feeling like myself more.

“That's kind of translating into what I'm seeing now.”

Berger has long been one of the tidiest ball-strikers on the PGA TOUR, sitting 14th in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green in his last full season on TOUR before his injury, in 2021-22. He was 15th in the year prior. He hasn’t necessarily lost a step in that department this season in his return, sitting a respectable 31st on TOUR.

He also said that he’s made a few mental adjustments to realize what he needs to do to play at his peak.

“I think it's kind of a process,” Berger said. “You're working every day to get one percent better, one percent better, and then you got to a point where you don't have to think about it or worry about it and that's kind of where I am now. I'm just trying to have some fun and enjoy myself. Seems to be working so far.

“My dad was out here earlier with me this week, so just felt kind of like a normal week at home. That's usually when I play my best.”

Berger has returned to The Country Club of Jackson for the first time since the 2014-15 PGA TOUR season, where he finished 51st. The course, he said, is just as he remembered. The calm conditions in the Mississippi morning allowed for him to have a handful of birdie looks which he converted for his second straight 65. Berger was second in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and seventh in Strokes Gained: Approach to Green – his ball-striking prowess on full display.

Through 36 holes, Berger is in position to notch his best finish on the PGA TOUR since the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday all the way in 2022 – where he finished tied for fifth. It’s all been a process, he said, with the beginning of the 2024 campaign being “extremely difficult.” He said the landscape of the golf world has changed, and he’s missed some tournaments this year that he was a mainstay at in past seasons.

“I'm playing new events that I never played before, going places I never had on my schedule, changing golf coaches, new caddies. You just add all this change in and it just becomes challenging. I've just tried to dig in and just be patient and just enjoy the process,” Berger said. “When you miss two years, you don't come back and see immediate success. It can be challenging.”

But with nearly a full season back on TOUR in the rearview, some good momentum through 36 holes, and an excellent spot on the leaderboard heading into the weekend in Mississippi, there’s reason to believe for Berger.

“Now I'm just having fun,” Berger said, “and that's when I play my best.”