Rookie of the Year Daniel Berger picks up his first win at the St Jude Classic
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Most players crowned Rookie of the Year pick up at least one win on their way to that award. Daniel Berger, Rookie of the Year for the 2014-2015 season, took the crown for a series of accomplished performances that saw him finish 25th on the PGA Tour money list, but didn’t have a tour title to his name until yesterday.
Berger’s final round 67 gave left him on 13-under for the week and left him with a three-shot winning margin over Brooks Koepka, Steve Stricker and Phil Mickelson.
”To do that with so many great players – Hall of Famers – behind me, it’s something that I’ll never forget and I just love the way I hung in there and was able to get it done,” said the 23-year-old American. “I’m just a competitor. I got off to a terrible start today and I just grinded it out and was able to get some putts to fall.”
Berger picked up a cheque for $1.1 million in his 50th career start.
Confidence is high as Berger prepares to compete in this week’s U.S. Open at Oakmont. He finished T-28 in his only previous U.S. Open appearance in 2014.
”When I played in the Masters for the first time I think I finished tenth, five shots behind and didn’t really play that great,” said Berger, who . ”So, you know, if I can go in there next week and play good, then obviously I have what it takes to get the W.”
Several big name players put in strong performances in the final warm-up before the U.S. Open.
Phil Mickelson, who needs a U.S. Open title to complete a career grand slam, shot a final round 67 to keep himself in contention, while Dustin Johnson shot 29 on the back-nine for an impressive 63.