ORLANDO — Daniel Berger could not get away from the West Coast fast enough after playing the Poa annua greens on courses where tournaments come down to putting contests.
Put the Jupiter resident and South Florida native back on Bermuda grass that defines Florida golf. Throw in a little humidity, windy conditions and lots of water and he’s feeling right at home.
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In other words, more challenging, familiar golf courses, like the one at Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. After all, that is what the Dwyer High School alum grew up on. That is where he thrives.
And that is where he played what he says is one of his three best rounds on the PGA Tour since turning pro 13 years ago. Berger carded a bogey free 9-under 63, one off the tournament record, on March 5 to claim the early lead.
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Berger came within a shot of joining Adam Scott (1981), Greg Norman (1984), Andy Bean (1981). Bean is the only one who won.
Mar 5, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Daniel Berger plays his shot from the seventh tee during the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
“L.A. (Riviera) and Pebble didn’t suit my game,” said Berger, whose best round on the PGA Tour is a 62 at the 2016 Travelers Championship.
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“Good to get back to Florida.”
Daniel Berger broke right ring finger in August
Berger, 32, has another reason for feeling more comfortable. With each day he gets farther way from the BMW Championship, where he broke his right ring finger while hitting what he believes was a 7-iron.
The injury, which occurred in August, forced him to miss about three months. He played one event to finish 2025 — RSM Classic where he was T51 — and started this year in Hawaii and at four West Coast Swing events, playing tournaments he normally would skip but did not because they are Signature Events.
Finally, he was back home for the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches, where he tied for 32nd.
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“It definitely makes it easier,” he said. “I get to drive my own car up here. Slept in my own bed last week.”
Berger was told it will take about a year for the finger to feel normal, but other than one shot at the Phoenix Open where he thought he had rebroken the finger, he’s been able to put it out of his mind.
What it has done is made him and caddie Josh Cassell more aware of his surroundings, like say if there is a root close to the ball.
“My caddie is the first one to say, you know, we’re not taking this on,” Berger said.
Berger has become accustomed to an injury interrupting his career. He went 19 months between events from 2022 to 2023 because of back issues. The one-time No. 12 ranked golfer in the world was practically starting over.
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Now, the broken finger comes in a year in which he qualified for the Signature Events.
“You can’t live in a bubble and try to protect yourself so much,” he said. “Things are going to happen in life, so you just kind of roll with it and deal with it.”
Berger’s 63 at Arnold Palmer Invitational one off tournament record
Mar 5, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Daniel Berger walks off of the sixth green during the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
The finger certainly didn’t bother Berger in the first round at Bay Hill. He made the course that was eighth toughest on the PGA Tour in 2025 look easy.
“I’ve been playing well,” he said. “It’s like one shot here, one shot there that kind of doesn’t go your way. And even last week (at Cognizant) I played pretty well and just didn’t quite score the way I wanted to.”
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Berger had everything going on a day in which the temperatures were in the mid-80s. He ranked in the top 2 in strokes gained: tee to green, approach and putting after the first wave finished and well into the second wave.
“The strength of my game is off the tee,” he said. “Got to be aggressive when you can.”
Something that will not change. Not even as the greens get drier, harder and faster.
“It’s going to be an incredibly difficult and challenging week,” he said. “When you come to Bay Hill to play this event, you know what you’re getting, and so it doesn’t shock me. You’re ready for it.”
Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.
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This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Daniel Berger shoots 63 in first round at Arnold Palmer Invitational
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