Daniel Berger's match ends painfully after striking stone wall on 18
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This is a tough way to end a match. #QuickHits https://t.co/0QW3LU6r2u https://t.co/AfbWZF96TG
This definitely isn't the way Daniel Berger wanted to close out his match against Phil Mickelson on Thursday at the WGC-Dell Match Play. On the 18th hole with the match all-square, Berger was forced to concede the hole due to injury, giving Mickelson the win.
The injury occurred on his second shot as a result of his ball sitting next to a stone wall. After taking a few practice swings, Berger attempted to hit the shot. On his downswing, however, his club clipped the wall.
The 22-year-old appeared to hurt his wrist or hand, causing him to release the club, which sent it flying through the air. It was Berger's second loss of the tournament, evidently ending his chances of advancing to the next round.
“I don’t even know what happened,” Berger said after the round. “I thought I had a full swing. I was shocked I hit the rock coming down and the club came out of my hand.
“Hopefully, I’m all right and I can play tomorrow."
"That's happened to me before — not the injury, but swinging over the top of it or misjudging where the obstacle is," Mickelson said. "It happens. So I was just watching if the ball was struck and it wasn't. He hit the rock on the downswing. And hopefully his wrist is OK."
Mickelson moves on to a winner-take-all match against Patrick Reed. Berger was among those eliminated and contemplated whether to play Friday, especially with his first Masters appearance only two weeks away.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
