Golf can be such a brutal game.
Just a few years ago, Will Zalatoris was a hot young talent. He won a FedEx Cup playoff event, was runner-up at the 2021 Masters and climbed to No. 7 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
From the 2020 US Open to the 2024 Masters, Zalatoris was kind of like Diet Brooks Koepka – he constantly raised his game at the majors. Although he never captured a major title during that stretch, he recorded seven top-10 finishes, including three runner-up finishes. He missed a playoff at the 2022 PGA Championship and was inches away from making another playoff at that year’s US Open.
Zalatoris seemed destined to be a fixture for years to come – competing for majors, US team golf and the PGA Tour.
But there are no guarantees in this game.
Recurring injury problems have plagued his recent years
Due to some horrific injury problems, Zalatoris has struggled to regain form.
The latest in those health battles is a left ankle problem that forced him to withdraw before last week’s Cognizant Classic – it’s not sure how serious that problem is, but, usually for Zalatoris, the culprit has been a faulty back.
Still only 29, Zalatoris has endured a troubled few years with his back.
- Withdrew from the 2022 BMW Championship, which kept him out for four months until the 2023 Sentry.
- Played just a few events in early 2023 before pulling out of the Masters and undergoing a microdiscectomy that April.
- Returned to play eight months later in the Hero World Challenge.
- Played a full season in 2024 but had just three top-10 finishes and dropped to the OWGR.
- Pulled out of the 2025 PGA Championship and then underwent disc replacement surgery, forcing him to miss another eight months. In his 12 starts last year, his best finish was T12.
- Now he has that visible injury to his left ankle.
Zalatoris is now outside the top 250 on OWGR.
Possible hope for the future
While some are ready to write off Zalatoris, he has remained optimistic.
After his most recent back surgery last spring, doctors ordered him to remain virtually immobile for eight weeks. He noted that the recovery process was much easier than what he previously went through for his first back surgery.
Zalatoris said his first back surgery was like pulling broken pieces out of a Jenga tower, and this latest surgery is like replacing the missing pieces that were removed.
He actually got three quarters of an inch longer through surgery.
“This is the first time I would say in four years that I haven’t had sciatica in my leg,” Zalatoris said during last month’s American Express. “… This time, I’m pushing myself in the gym more than ever. I’m able to do things I haven’t been able to do in years.”
He further said that there is no concern for the rear at this point.
As for movement, Zalatoris is doing everything to “undo” his back. As you can see, he explains herehe has worked to eliminate the amount of lateral bend in his downswing.
He’s using Patrick Cantlay and Tiger Woods — two players who went through back problems — as models.
“It’s great because I’m able to go week by week, and now it’s just about executing,” he said before Cognizant. “I think the part that’s fun about it now is that the three years of going through all of this is over. The sciatica pain, the leg weakness, it’s like I never had any of that.”
Zalatoris had some positive starts with a solo 15th at the DP World Tour and a tie for 18th at The American Express in Palm Springs.
He had not qualified for the WM Phoenix Open, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am or Genesis Invitational so last week’s Cognizant Classic was supposed to be his next start.
There’s some hope that Zalatoris can bounce back from this — at least it’s not on his back — and get back to being the player he was.
But, man, I’m not so sure.
Golf can be so cruel
I’ve been a huge fan of Zalatori throughout his career.
He was a standout college player at Wake Forest and arrived at the Tour looking for damage. The majors never scared him. It has a wire frame – which is probably a contributor to it how he swung the clubleading to back problems – but his unconventional putting stroke (yip- next) grabbed most of the attention.
For a guy so young, Zalatoris has some significant scar tissue, both physically and mentally. You hate to see it. Golf is so fickle. It’s been a few years since he had full confidence, so you wonder if he can regain it, even with a healthy back.
“You go through (back surgery) once, that’s good … ‘Hey, I’m still a great player, I’ve had some great finishes, a top 10 in a major,'” Zalatoris said. “But then you go through it again. And that’s where the mental side of it is so hard.”
We can only imagine.
I am trying so hard to get him back. It would be an incredible story.
Is Zalatoris cooked? Can he come back after all these injuries?
Let me know below in the comments.
Top Photo Caption: Will Zalatoris had to redo his swing after two back surgeries. (GETTY IMAGES/Jed Jacobsohn)
