Daniel Berger is back to playing competitive golf. After an injury-induced hiatus that forced him out of action for 19 months, the 30-year-old made his return to the PGA Tour two weeks ago at The American Express.
His return to action went well, all things considered. With four consecutive rounds in the 60s, Berger posted a T39 finish in his first start since 2022.
“It was exciting,” Berger told Golf Channel after his opening round. “I was up at 4 a.m., ready to go.”
That enthusiasm is nothing new for the 10-year pro. Ever since he was a junior golfer, he’s been infatuated with the game — and the competition that comes with it. That competitive spirit burned so hot that he’d even strike up money games with Tour pros at his club. And he made sure to talk as much trash as he could.
That famous Ernie Els-Steve Marino airplane fight? Marino tells all
“He would just talk s— to you — just a little brat,” Tour veteran Steve Marino recalled on this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar.
One day, that teenage bravado got Berger in a bit of a hole. His mouth was writing checks his bank account couldn’t cash.
“One day we go out and he’s talking trash to me,” Marino said. “He’s like, ‘Oh, I’ll go play you for 500 bucks on the front nine.'”
Marino took the up Berger on his offer — and beat him handily. But when it was time to pay up, the teenager fled. Fortunately for Marino, he stumbled upon some collateral.
“The next day I see his golf cart out there, and these are the days of the iPod Touch,” Marino said. “He had one of those. The thing was sitting in the cupholder of his cart, so I [took it]. I let a couple days go by, then I called him up on the phone and said, ‘Hey, bud I’ve got your iPod Touch. Who’s Stephanie? I’m on your Facebook, sending messages.'”
As one might imagine, Berger panicked when he heard this.
“I go, ‘Well give me my 500 bucks, and you can have the iPod Touch back,'” Marino said with a laugh. “I got my 500 bucks I think his rookie year on Tour. He gave me the money and said, ‘Stop telling people that story, Steve.'”
Check out Marino’s entire episode of Subpar below.
