Schwab Stunner: Daniel Berger Is The Last Man Standing

If the rest of the PGA Tour season and the remaining major golf championships are anything like Sunday afternoon at the Charles Schwab Challenge — then we’re in for a wild, thrilling ride in the coming months.

With big names all around him, it was Daniel Berger who emerged as the best of the best at Colonial Country Club.  He found himself wearing the plaid jacket and hoisting the huge winner’s trophy and it took all sorts of strange shots and lipped-out putts to get him there.

Berger, whose last win came on June 11, 2017 in Memphis, was the only player to make a clutch putt at the 18th hole and it was that birdie from just inside 11 feet that set him up for a playoff with Collin Morikawa.  After Jason Kokrak, Justin Rose and Bryson DeChambeau all narrowly missed putts at that 18th green that would have gotten them to 15-under par, it was Berger who made his then watched anxiously as Morikawa came down the stretch.

Things look bleak for Berger when Morikawa’s drive at the 18th took a lucky bounce after flirting with the trees.  His ball ended up in the fairway and he stuck his second inside six feet — five feet, nine inches to be exact.  Wasn’t a tough one but Morikawa, who hasn’t missed a cut since joining the PGA Tour, didn’t give it enough heat and watched it break low left.  His bid for 16-under and the win failed and he had a date on 17 tee for a playoff with Berger.

Things ended quickly.  Berger hit a long-iron in the fairway, Morikawa’s leaked right.  With rough and tree trouble, Morikawa did the best he could, leaving himself short left with a lot of green to work with.  Berger’s second flew right over the flagstick and settled into the longer grass just off the fringe — about 12 feet from the hole.  Morikawa’s third was a beauty, got it inside four feet.  Berger’s short chip was tight, a foot, virtual kick-in.  He asked but it was his right to tap-in for his par.  He did and stepped back to watch Morikawa.

Holes three through five at Colonial are dubbed the “Horrible Horseshoe” and that’s what Morikawa got when his putt seemingly went into the hole but circled around the cup then came back out — a nasty, 360-degree lip-out.  There were no crowds to groan, no victory screams for Berger.  Berger’s reaction for a second was disbelief but then he realized he won and celebrated with his caddie.  His long road back from a hand injury, all his practice and work was rewarded.

His third win came about the same time on the calendar as his other two.  His first win in Memphis came on June 12, 2016, the second in the same place on June 11, 2017 then yesterday, June 14.

“A range of emotions,” was how Berger described his state of mind.  “I worked really hard in the off-time.  I’m just glad to be back and playing some golf.  To have it pay off is the greatest feeling in the world.”

And there were those who weren’t feeling very great.

Big names fell all around Berger.  Bryson DeChambeau gave it his best shot with his “bomb-it-and-find-it” approach off the tee.  He worked his way to 15-under then hit a costly second shot at the 17th from 143 yards that went long left and cost him a bogey.  He gave himself a chance to get it back at 18 but his 12 1/2-footer for birdie barely missed.  “I played some great golf.  I’m pretty excited about the path I’m on.  I didn’t putt great on Saturday or Sunday or I would have run away with it,” was how DeChambeau summed things up.  “Seventeen — that one cost me alot.  I’ve got to make more putts.”

Rose was right there.  “It did look good,” Rose said of his putt at 18 that would have put him in the playoff.  “I knew it was a must-make putt.  I had a couple of three-putts I’m gonna rue but overall I’m delighted with the way my game’s come out.”

Then there was Xander Schauffele, the man who looked like he had control of the championship.  He had it to 15-under with four holes to play.  After finding the fairway, he pulled his second at the 15th and found water left.  He made a 31-foot bomb for bogey.  He bounced back with an amazing downhill birdie putt from 25-feet at 16 but the golf gods got him back at 17 when his three-footer for par gave him an ugly, lip-out bogey.  At 18, he missed from 24 feet and his day ended — 69 for 14-under.  “I’m nit-picking myself,” he said.  “I had a lot of putts.  It was kinda hectic.  I’m playing really good golf.  I’m pretty upset right now.”

Xander wasn’t the only one that was upset.  Rory McIlroy’s expected charge never surfaced, a front-nine 41 sent him reeling to a closing 74 and he fell 23 spots into a tie for 32nd.

It was a Sunday thriller, a nail-biter, even without the fans, you could feel the tension down the stretch.

In the end it was the new “Mr. June” — Daniel Berger with the win.  But you could tell all the players were happy to be back, even the ones who couldn’t make the clutch putts.

Yeah, the boys are back and this should be a great summer for golf.

Charles Schwab Challenge Final Scores: