Persistent Berganio deserving of help from higher power

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David Berganio Jr. says he doesn't know where he'd be without the help of a priest.

In a perfect world, this would be the right time for a little divine intervention.

David Berganio, Jr., is back at the Qualifying Tournament this week in search of another shot at the PGA TOUR. Given his history, it's not asking too much for a little help from a greater power.

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Berganio opened his quest Wednesday with an even-par 72 on the PGA West Stadium Course thanks to a birdie 3 on the final hole. He's got some work to do but that's OK. Q-school is a marathon, not a sprint, and Berganio is nothing if he isn't persistent.

Berganio got his start in the game as a grade-schooler when his parish priest, Father George Miller, hooked him up with golf clubs. A connection like that must be worth something.

Miller's game plan for Berganio was not about fairways and greens. It was far more important than that. It was about survival on the hard streets of the projects north of Los Angeles.

Father Miller wanted Berganio off life's mean tracks and golf was the vehicle.

"He introduced me to golf because he said everything else came too easy," Berganio would say many years later. "He told my parents I was headed for trouble. I do not know where I would be if Father Miller had not given me those clubs."

"Those clubs" were a Chi Chi Rodriguez starter set -- four irons clubs, two woods and a putter. In no time, Berganio found himself immersed.

"I fell totally in love with the game," he once said. "What I loved is I did not need someone to throw me the pass. If I just worked hard I was going to get results. It was up to me, no one else. Everything is on my shoulders.

"If I did not play well or chip well, I could go to the practice green or the practice bunker and hit shots, fool around, try different shots, lob, bump -- and I could see instant results on the golf course the next day."

Once Berganio discovered the art and the craft of the game, success wasn't far behind. He turned professional in 1993 after a successful amateur career which included All-America honors at Arizona and twice winning the U.S. Public Links title (1991, 1993). He played on the United States' victorious Walker Cup team in 1993.

At the 1996 U.S. Open at Oakland Hills Country Club, his third appearance in the national championship, Berganio, then a member of the Nationwide Tour, was first off the tee in the opening round and fashioned a neat 1-under-par 69 on The Monster.

What happened next left an enduring image of David Berganio, Jr.

As he was being ushered into the interview room, Berganio stopped short of the podium and retraced his steps.

"I've got to find my mother," he said to no one in particular. "She would enjoy this."

Moments later, Berganio reappeared with Irene Vazquez.

"I just wanted my mom to share that moment with me," he would say later. "My mom, she is my hero ... the struggle she went through growing up and how strong she had to be and was."

Irene was 15 when David was born but, in the son's words, "she persevered." There's no doubt where Berganio's will to go on comes from. He has barrels of the same kind of grit and perseverance. He has needed it.

This year, Berganio, 39, was on his fifth consecutive Major Medical Extension as he continued to overcome injuries which have plagued him most of his career. He played in two events, one each on the PGA TOUR and the Nationwide Tour.

In 2007, he played six events, three each. One year earlier, it was four events, two each. He hasn't played in more than six events (a total of 23) since 2003, when he made 15 appearances on the PGA TOUR, with the best finish a T19 at the Byron Nelson.

All this came after what appeared to be a breakout season in 2002 when he tied for second at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, losing a playoff to Phil Mickelson after a final hole birdie had enabled Berganio to catch left-hander and force sudden-death. Berganio won nearly $600,000 that year.

What Berganio needs this week and beyond is for the injury issues to go away. The disk problems, the strained hamstrings, and all the rest. He's tried everything and there are times when the frustration is palpable and he sighs, "I don't know."

"I've turned over every rock," he said a while back.

That's why it is time for some divine intervention. Berganio deserves it.

Swing thoughts

• It's no longer sporting to take pot shots at John Daly. It's simply too easy and it serves no purpose.
• That means sportswriters and professional golfers.
• The leaderboard watching at q-school is unlike that at any other professional event. The golfers know what they shot, of course, but still they stand there mesmerized by the numbers on the big, sweeping board.
• As the final-round scores are posted, the expressions on those faces will run the gamut of emotions. It's easy to smile with those who are successful and very difficult to watch those who have failed.
• My best comparison of that phenomenon to other sports: 12-year-olds finding out whether they've made the Little League team. At that age, it's pure joy or total devastation. There is very little in between.

Vartan Kupelian is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.