PGA Tour Winner Daniel Berger Isn’t Even the Most Accomplished Athlete in His Family
Daniel Berger is one of the hottest golfers on the PGA Tour right now. He won the Charles Schwab Challenge last weekend and is again in contention at the RBC Heritage. He’s currently ranked No. 31 in the world, but he isn’t even the most accomplished athlete in his household. Berger’s father, Jay, was a world-class tennis player in his prime. He’s still heavily involved with the sport today.
Daniel Berger just won his third PGA Tour title
Golf finally returned last weekend after nearly three months off, and Daniel Berger emerged victorious at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Berger prevailed in a playoff against Collin Morikawa for his third PGA Tour victory.
He’s not a well-known name on the PGA Tour, but Berger is actually one of the best players in the world. The 27-year-old is ranked No. 31 in the Offical World Golf Rankings, and he’s only climbing.
Berger has been one of the most consistent players on Tour throughout the 2020 season. He’s placed inside the top 10 in his last four tournaments played, including a T5 at Pebble Beach and a T4 at the Honda Classic before the hiatus began.
Berger has continued his hot play into this weekend at the RBC Heritage. He shot a 4-under 67 in the first round Thursday to put him three strokes back of the leaders. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Berger near the top of the leaderboard again by the end of the weekend.
Daniel Berger isn’t even the best athlete in his family
As impressive as Daniel Berger has been on the PGA Tour recently, he’s not even the most accomplished athlete in his household. Berger’s father, Jay, played tennis professionally for five years.
Jay reached as high as No. 7 in the world during his prime. He went 141-80 of the course of his career, and he won three singles titles and a doubles title. Berger won close to $1 million in prize money throughout his professional career.
Jay’s most impressive win came in 1989 against world No. 3 Boris Becker. Berger beat Becker 6-1, 6-1, handing him the worst loss of his career. At the time, Berger was one of the best tennis players in the entire world.
He represented the United States in the Davis Cup in both 1988 and 1990, where he went undefeated in his singles matches.
Jay Berger went on to become a successful tennis coach
After his professional career ended in 1990, Jay Berger got into coaching. He served as the head coach of men’s tennis at Florida International and the University of Miami. Berger also served as a coach in the Olympics.
Jay went on to serve as the Head of men’s tennis for the USTA Player Development program for nine years. He resigned in 2017, but he continues to coach individual players. Berger coaches American Jack Sock to this day.
Daniel Berger got his competitive spirit and tireless work ethic from his athletic father. He wouldn’t be where he is today without Jay’s guidance.
