For a second on Sunday, there it was: The profitable second Daniel Berger had spent the higher half of the 2020s dreaming about.
It arrived on the 72nd gap of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, with Berger instantly confronting an uncomfortable actuality: the match he’d led since an opening-round 63 on Thursday was now on the road — and his enjoying associate, Akshay Bhatia, was an actual menace to win it.
As he stared down the 13-foot, nine-inch par putt on the outlet he’d performed worse than another all week at Bay Hill, the toll of the day and of the last decade got here into clear focus. What occurred subsequent was additionally revealing: Berger poured within the 14-footer to make a soul-stealing par, thrusting the stress again onto Bhatia, who instantly had a brief par putt to make simply to pressure a playoff.
When the ball fell into the outlet, Berger erupted in a approach we had not seen all week at Bay Hill. He threw a livid fist-pump, after which one other, as he yelled into the group. It was a decidedly un-Bergerian response, significantly from a professional so softspoken that he opted to not converse in any respect to the media on Saturday or Sunday, however it additionally mirrored the gravity of the second far past the golf match.
Berger had given every thing for the possibility to win once more on the PGA Tour — dropping 27 months to damage between the top of 2021 and the start of 2026, and untold extra time to regaining type within the months his physique allowed for aggressive golf. Now, after restoration from again and finger accidents that had annoyed and foiled him, he was on the peak of his powers — refusing to go away regardless of a livid late push from Bhatia, and clinging to the lead he’d labored all week to construct at Bay Hill.
That putt should have been cathartic, the best way it hit the underside of the outlet towards all odds. In some ways, it was a metaphor for the journey he’d taken to that time. But what got here after it was a reminder that redemption tales are hardly ever so easy.
Bhatia made his putt to pressure a playoff, after which smoked a drive down the middle of the golf green on the primary playoff gap (additionally held on that pesky 18th). Berger adopted up his triumphant putt by pumping a low hooking drive into the tough that broadcaster Bones Mackay estimated “might not have traveled 250 yards.” He wanted the longest strategy shot all day to search out the inexperienced on the 18th at Bay Hill (216 yards) simply to get a take a look at birdie (from 106 toes away). Bhatia, then again, smoked an excellent iron shot proper into the fats half of the inexperienced.
Berger’s lag putt was a lot good, leaving a bit of bit lower than 8 toes for par. But even then, the Tour make-rate from that distance amounted to a coin flip. Bhatia, then again, gave himself 4 toes for par — a lot nearer to gimme vary.
The wylie vet went first, and this time the magic wore off. He watched helplessly because the ball didn’t even scare the outlet, lacking on the low aspect and giving Bhatia an opportunity at a straight make for the win.
When Bhatia’s putt hit the middle of the cup, Berger was deflated. He rapidly zipped off the inexperienced and held a brief interview with NBC broadcaster Smylie Kaufman.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m proud of myself,” he mentioned. “Obviously it didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but at the start of the week if you told me I would have a chance on the 18th hole to win Bay Hill, I would be ecstatic with that. So a lot of positives, a lot of things to learn from.”
In the top, the arrow is pointing up for Berger, and he’s been round lengthy sufficient to know that. But that doesn’t take away the sting of Sunday at Bay Hill. A loss after main for 72 holes is tough in itself, however it’s more durable after half a decade of battle to get there.
“It’s tough to win. It’s tough to battle,” he mentioned. “But I feel like I did a good job, and a shot here or there was the difference.”
It’s additionally powerful to lose. And for Daniel Berger on Sunday at Bay Hill, it was a bit of bit more durable.
The profitable second arrived … however not the win. Not but.
