Springer carries daughter’s legacy; Berger starts comeback | Golf Central | Golf Channel

Hayden Springer talks about how he and his family are dealing with the loss of his daughter, Sage, and how they honor her. Daniel Berger chats about the state of his game as he makes his comeback from a back injury. #GolfChannel #GolfCentral #HaydenSpringer #DanielBerger
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Springer carries daughter’s legacy; Berger starts comeback | Golf Central | Golf Channel
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Callaway from our golf Central Studios
I’m Whit Watson a series of great
stories surrounding the American Express
early on in this PGA Tour season
including one previously featured here
on Golf Channel the story of Hayden
Springer became a member of the PGA tour
through Q School just weeks after losing
his three-year-old daughter Sage to a
severe developmental dis order went out
on day one at the American Express in
the Coachella Valley of
California and finishes at eight under
par after that birdie at the par 4 night
29 on the way out and only a bogey at
the 18th preventing
63 player out of TCU whose story had
been well documented and obviously he is
still questioned about
it is there a sense of relief now that
you’re a member and you’ve actually got
that first round under your belt and
it’s a good one on top of that that now
you feel it’s going to give you some
confidence to continue that this week
yeah it’s definitely a huge confidence
boost to to get off to a good start and
you know it’s I feel like it’s slightly
different now than a few of the other
starts that I’ve gotten over the last
few years um you know being a member and
and kind of knowing that um you know
I’ve got a full season to to make the
most of and to kind of you know learn
and grow and and just kind of uh
experience that rookie season so it’s
it’s a little bit different uh but it’s
nice to know that You’ got that and then
also to get off to a good start is
really nice as well very sad tragic
situation with with your family how are
you doing how’s your family doing and
dealing with that in the months
since I think we’re good I mean we
um you know there’s harder moments than
others but um you know we’re just trying
to to lean in on in our faith and and
trust in the Lord and uh you know that
he’s got a plan um you know but and then
and then of course the the community
around us our friends and family our
parents um you know have supported us so
well in these last few months and uh so
it definitely you know it’s been
challenging and and tough but just
trying to to keep moving forward and and
keep living life as much as we can and
um you know we know that that Sage would
want would want that for us and you know
it’s there’s a missing piece it’s always
going to be a missing piece and um but
you know overall I think we’re we’re
just trying to love on each other and
and be around each other as much as we
can is there anything you do
particularly on the golf course any kind
of homage to your daughter for for her
memory um no nothing in particular I I
um I’ve had my wedges stamped with her
name on it uh you know just to to kind
of a fun thing to remember her and um
have it a rainbow color and and all that
stuff so we do that and um you know at
some point I’ll probably wear a pink
shirt to you know we her favorite color
was pink so just do do little stuff like
that I’ll ask you lastly given the
Rarity of that disease and the
visibility of your story have you had
other families or folks reach out to you
perhaps uh with questions or support or
to get information from you yeah we’ve
had uh you know a number of families
reach out to us and and we have we
started a a nonprofit called extra to
love um that we’re supporting triom
families and we you know we we’ve done
that for a few years now um so we’re
definitely trying to grow that and
expand that um you know we’re we’re
passionate about this now you know we
didn’t it’s something that came into our
lives and and totally changed our lives
and so now we’re we’re very passionate
about it and we want to uh you know push
that Community forward and and help the
families that are are going through a
similar experience to
us Hayden Springer and Harrison indicot
playing together their tea time at 1:42
p.m. eastern time as they will go off at
litaa in the second round on Friday
another story to follow this week is
that of Daniel berer who’s playing for
the first time since
2022 this at the par 4 15th birdie putt
to finish at eventually finish at four
under par a back injury sidelined him he
is back between the ropes for the first
time since the 2022 US Open and speaking
of comebacks will zalatoris his playing
competitor also trying to comeb back
from injury for Burger he’s had a long
road and he’s happy to be on his way
back it’s been exciting you know leading
up to this week I was uh you know kind
of on the edge of whether I was ready to
play or not and then you kind of just
have to rip the Band-Aid off after that
amount of time and and just get out
there and um I actually played really
well today which was nice and I really
didn’t hit any bad shots the couple
bogeys I made were two good iron shots
so um just get better every day and get
better every tournament and get into the
flow of things than the seeing the same
people and just doing the routine that
you’re used to doing at what point were
you like able to take full swings and
kind of start to R yeah I mean I I
didn’t really touch a club for about
like seven eight months I’d hit like a
ball a couple balls here and there just
to see how it felt and that’s kind of
the progression it’s like you hit 10
balls one day wake up see how you feel
the next day if you feel good you hit 12
balls wake up feel good you hit 15 balls
but it’s not a linear kind of uh uh
recovery you know there’s ups and downs
as um as anybody that’s at a back issue
can see so um you really just have to be
patient and and work your way slowly I
think when you first kind of started
feeling issues you were like 12 in the
world at that point so playing the best
golf of your life and then that happens
how just mentally do you did you kind of
deal with that well mentally I couldn’t
accept being in pain every day that I
was playing so at that point I was like
this is not fun anymore you know it’s
it’s not fun going out to a golf
tournament not being able to do what you
want to do um physically so that was
when I was like this just can’t keep
going on anymore and um and then you
know obviously you come back and I have
really nothing you know like I you know
like you said I was 10 or 12 in the
world I’m not in any of the majors I’m
not in any of the elevated events we’ve
had all this stuff going on in the golf
world and uh so really I’m kind of
starting at Ground Zero trying to work
my way back but um it’s not the first
time that’s happened to me I’ve missed
time before and so I think that prepared
me uh for this time coming
back how about Zack Johnson turning back
the clock he was playing at Lita on day
one this the par 4 14th birdie putt gets
him to nine under
par
over at
17 the Par Four another birdie putt
knocking it close all day long and
making putts
62 for Zack Johnson he shot 62 in the
final round of this event back in
2014 and this time it has him sharing
the lead after the opening round of the
American
Express Alex noren was the other player
to shoot 62 on the day also at linta
four of the last seven winners of this
event played their first round at linta
it is considered to be the easiest of
the courses in the rotation a lot of big
names though that are lurking after one
round at the
AMX so here’s your Friday schedule the
Dubai Desert Classic at 2:30 a.m. at
noon Eastern Time Golf Central is back
with pregame coverage leading you to the
lpga’s Hilton Grand Vacations their
opening event of the year in Orlando
Orlando 400 p.m. the American Express
round two round two of the Mitsubishi
Electric championship at haala also that
is a Thursday Friday Saturday event this
week and at 10 p.m. we’re back to wrap
it all up on golf
Central
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