[2] He attended Wake Forest University in North Carolina, and was named ACC Player of the Year in 2017. Will Zalatoris, who had the most money and the best world ranking of anyone without a PGA Tour victory, won the FedEx St. Jude Championship without making birdie in a three-hole playoff on Sunday . Will Zalatoris is married to Caitlyn Sellers. The Wake Forest alum has been a premier ball-striker for four consecutive seasons in TOUR-sanctioned competition, and he admits its not natural inclination to want to change anything. Representing Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, a suburb of Dallas, Texas, Zalatoris won the U.S. At seventh in the Presidents Cup points standings, he likely would have been among the six . Note that the Championship and Invitational were discontinued from 2022. I spent some time with Dr. Greg Rose at [the Titleist Performance Institute], he said. Will Zalatoris Will Never Be Satisfied With Second Place - The New York Ive learned a lot about my body, probably more than I think I ever wanted to. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com. As Dr. Rose said, duh, no wonder I had a back issue, Zalatoris quipped. The Korn Ferry trademark is also a registered trademark, and is used in the Korn Ferry Tour logo with permission. But I think the big thing for me is we spent a lot of time understanding the pressures of my golf swing and understanding how I push off my right side. Zalatoris (back) pulls out of Tour Championship, A battle for No. The comparisons got so mainstream that even Adam Sandler, star of Happy Gilmore, tweeted Zalatoris during the 2021 Masters and joined the fray. As the news broke on the internet, fans jumped into the comments section of his post to congratulate the newlywed star. Nevertheless, his first win would not be an easy one. Much like fellow 25-year-old DFW golf star Scottie Scheffler (who was born in New Jersey but moved to the Metroplex when he was in elementary school), Zalatoris was born outside of the Lone Star State but moved to Texas as a youngster and thrived in the local golf scene. Junior Amateur in 2014. The 26-year-old has long displayed an aptitude for quickly bouncing back from injury. 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational: How to watch, TV schedule, streaming, tee times, Meet the new GOLF Top 100 Teachers of America, 7 interesting gear finds inside Tommy Fleetwoods golf bag | Bag Spy, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. He lost to Justin Thomas in a playoff in the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma. December 1, I think, was the first day I was cleared for full activity, and really just have been doing as much as I can since then not being able to have a club in my hand for a couple months, I dont think Ive done that probably since I was 8 or 9. 7 World Ranking. Zalatoris shot 1-under 69 on Thursday, but on the 15th hole he drove into the thick rough. His tee shot hit the bank and then bounced seven times on the rocks before coming to rest. I mean, weve looked at everything that I was doing to make sure I was doing the right things and we were checking all the boxes and it was just strictly a motor pattern thing, which is kind of a good thing and a bad thing, because when I was hitting the ball the way that I was, its hard to want to change anything, but at the same time, I actually saw some benefits.. Will Zalatoris was born August 16, 1996, to his parents, Richard Zalatoris and Catherine Zalatoris. Zalatoris was born in 1996 on the 16th of August. Zalatoris moves into the top 10 in the world for the first time and takes the No. This one could have gone either way, a playoff that featured three penalty drops in three holes, neither player making birdie and Zalatoris winning on the par-3 11th with a bogey. At the time, Zalatoris was leading the FedEx Cup after capturing his first PGA Tour win a week earlier in Memphis. He was born and raised in San Francisco, playing at Cal Club, where he hung with a much older crowd and pounded . "Playing the cutline is one of the toughest things in golf. But his speed has remained the same as it was from last year when he finished 13th in driving distance on Tour at 314.7 yards a pop. September 14, 2022 4:18 pm ET Will Zalatoris had quite the year. "This course is where every shot you hit you're on the edge of your seat," Straka said. Zalatoris called the process the "easiest 15 pounds [he's] ever put on." . He admittedly got bored quickly with his recovery routine. Spieth then birdied six of the next eight holes for a 29 on his way to a course-record 63. Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images. Zalatoris made the most of a four-month rehabilitation process after suffering two herniated discs in his back, but its a new year and hes ready to return to competition at this weeks Sentry Tournament of Champions. He was born in San Francisco, and growing up he spent his formative golf years playing at the outstanding California Golf Club with his Dad. The current leader in the FedEx Cup standings. He was named the 2017 ACC Player of the Year and 2017 First-Team All-American. The shutdown simplified things.. I think Ive just been so close so many times, so I think, if anything, after having the time off, its kind of hard to remind myself of all the second places.. He went to the drop zone, hit to 7 feet and let his raised hands drop over his head in relief when he made the winning putt. While Zalatoris isnt the biggest guy on tour hes listed by the PGA Tour at 6-foot-2, 175 lbs he said hes still largely avoided back injuries throughout his career, save one instance in July 2021. Sitting in a hospital bed on the Monday morning of the tournament, Zalatoris had to make one of the toughest phone calls of his life when he dialed up tournament director Jon Drago and withdrew from the tournament. Will Zalatoris, the 25-year-old golfer out of Dallas has finally grabbed his first PGA Tour victory, winning a three-hole playoff vs. Sepp Straka at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He had attended every Nelson since he was 9 years old. But as Nelson week grew closer, those feelings the teenager were experiencing werent butterflies they were pains from an inflamed appendix. He is on a lifelong quest to break 80 on a course that exceeds 6,000 yards and to see the Buffalo Bills win a Super Bowl. Zalatoris was voted PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for the 202021 season. GOLF.com and GOLF Magazine are published by EB GOLF MEDIA LLC, a division of 8AM GOLF, Back from injury, Will Zalatoris reveals swing fix that took stress off his back, What is Jim Nantzs career lowlight? Let him tell you about adult film, Its f hard: Jon Rahm comes back to Earth at brutal Bay Hill. Will Zalatoris hilariously explained why Phil Mickelson could play Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore remake. Will Zalatoris spent his weekend on the greens, but not the one he's used to. He could have been referring to his runner-up finish to Hideki Matsuyama in the Masters last year or the playoff losses at Torrey Pines and at Southern Hills in the PGA Championship or most recently the putt that burned the edge of the cup that kept him from a U.S. Open playoff. He came close to winning three times in 2022, including two major championships, before finally breaking out for his first victory. That included events like the 2009 U.S. If Will Zalatoris can quiet his putting issues, the rest of his game Player Profile: Birthplace. Zalatoris is making his first start since withdrawing from the BMW Championship in August. After so many near misses, Zalatoris picked up his first PGA Tour victory by defeating Sepp Straka in a playoff at the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Aug. 14. This is the best of the best, Zalatoris said Tuesday ahead of the tournament. Will Zalatoris and Caitlin Sellers are considered among the most beautiful couples in the sports world. Representing TCA-Addison in 2014, Zalatoris won the U.S. Suddenly the close-call narrative was put to bed he memorably exclaimed, What are they gonna say now! upon draining a par putt on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Sepp Straka at TPC Southwind. Country Club when he tweaked his lower back. Copyright 2023 PGA TOUR, Inc. All rights reserved. [12], In October 2021, Zalatoris shot his career low round (61) on the PGA Tour at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi. Zalatoris won't be replaced in the 30-man field at East Lake and will receive a $500,000 bonus. He . 8 in the standings and is assured his first trip to the Tour Championship at East Lake. For the first time in 138 days, Will Zalatoris will play a PGA Tour event this week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Newlywed Will Zalatoris returns from back injury at Sentry Yes, as a 14-year-old kid. He did not participate in last weeks event, however. He also has three runner-up finishes in major championships. Follow Kevin Prise on Twitter. He entered Sunday in a logjam for second at 7 under, four shots back of Matsuyama. They examined the pressures of his swing, concluding a motor pattern was the root cause of the strain on his back. Will Zalatoris' fiancee asked him one of the biggest deal-breaker Oosthuizen is teetering on the brink of missing three majors in 2023. 1 spot in the FedEx Cup standings after capturing his first PGA Tour win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. So Im trying to get more centered over it and work more around my right side, so more of a turn as opposed to kind of a lateral shift, because like I said, when my right hip gets high and the spine tilts back, youre now all of a sudden creating all that stress on your back. Something went wrong while submitting the form. Will Zalatoris is set to make his first TOUR start since the BMW Championship last August. Despite his big win, Zalatoris still has not received his PGA . "That was another good step for Will," said . Straka followed with a shot that also hit the bank, took one bounce off the rocks and went into the water. Zalatoris doesn't enter the final round with any cushion because the same club that's troubled him in the early stages of his career can still be a nuisance. 121, knowing that only the top 70 advance to the next tournament. Zalatoris breakthrough at Augusta was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to strong showings at major championships. The fix: adjusting his setup, with the goal of reducing the strain on his back. Will was voted the 2020-2021 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year by his peers. Is Dallas becoming unaffordable due to rising housing costs, inflation and stagnating pay? Being in contention as much as I was last year, theres just no better feeling than it, Zalatoris said Tuesday. Will Zalatoris walks back to the crowd with his arm around his fianc after winning his first PGA tournament during the last day of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tenn., Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022. He played his fourth shot out to 4 feet as Zalatoris was still going over his options. 2. Will Zalatoris withdrew from The 149th Open Championship on Friday, citing a back injury suffered while hitting out of heavy rough late in his opening-round 69. He is fully focused on getting healthy and back onto the course as soon as he is able.". He was the 36-hole leader at the 2022 PGA Championship before ultimately falling short of his first major championship after losing to Justin Thomas in a three-hole playoff. In Texas, we couldnt practice, but we could play. He had a 25-foot putt for the win on the 18th on the first playoff hole and had to make a 7-footer the second time around to stay in the game. Luckily for Zalatoris, Nelson organizers honored the exemption the following year and he made the start as a 19 year old. Zalatoris, 26, hasnt teed it up since withdrawing during the third round of the BMW Championship in August with what turned out to be two herniated discs in his back. A feat that would soon eclipsed by his performance at Augusta a month later, but was at the time a career highlight: First PLAYERS.Surprise messages from family and friends. [11] He followed it up with a T8 at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship, and secured Special Temporary Member status after the Bermuda Championship in early November. Back from injury, Will Zalatoris reveals swing fix that took stress off Zalatoris entered Augusts BMW Championship in the advantageous No. Through it all, he managed to keep his nerve and the dry streak Zalatoris had been enduring since 2018 finally came to an end with one final putt. Zalatoris entered August's BMW Championship in the advantageous No. PGA:How to watch|ESPN+ streaming|Leaderboard|Saturday tee times. He had to sit out the Presidents Cup but did appear on-site to cheer on the U.S. Your login session has expired. 1, LIV Golf's debut on The CW scores low ratings, How to watch PGA Tour's Arnold Palmer Invitational on ESPN+, Kirk wins Honda in playoff; 1st title since 2015, Howell (63) wins in Mexico for 1st title in LIV, Nicklaus: '24 schedule likely to aid Honda field, Siem ends 8-year wait for another Euro Tour title, Vu overcomes 6-shot deficit to win 1st LPGA title, What's to come in the FedEx Cup playoffs after a long-awaited win for Will Zalatoris, PGA Tour docks Smith 2 shots for bad drop, Here are the 70 players who advanced in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship, The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship, "Zalatoris, Riley progress from U.S. Topics of discussion included how Zalatoris seems to always step it up in majors as well as what its like to play in a group behind Tiger Woods. Among his eight top-10s are three runners-up, including at two majorsthe PGA Championship and U.S . After getting initial golf instruction from former U.S. Open champion Ken Venturi as a 6 year old in San Francisco, most of Zalatoris learning and development came in Texas after he moved to Texas as a pre-teen. Straka, already a winner this year in the Honda Classic, narrowly missed a 20-foot birdie putt for the victory on the 18th for a 67. It brought me back to being a kid. Zalatoris qualified for the upcoming Sentry Tournament of Champions by winning his first PGA TOUR title at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. The Players Championship will be contested next week without its biggest draw. Caitlin has changed her last name to Zalatoris on her Instagram account. $14,217,888 Career Earnings. The first event of 2023 also could be Will Zalatoris' first start since August. For the first time in 138 days, Will Zalatoris will play a PGA Tour event this week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. "T" = Tied The growing legend of Will Zalatoris - The Athletic PGA Tour: Will Zalatoris gets married, expected to return in Hawaii Id go to the course, carrying my bag, playing with my buddies, just trying to beat the crap out of each other. He didnt exactly take it easy during his time off. But the speeds the same, everything feels really good.. Clearly ready to end the first-timers . WD = withdrew That win moved him to the top of the Korn Ferry Tour points list and he qualified for the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot, where he finished 6th place. Amateur nearly a decade earlier. Kevin Prise is an associate editor for PGATOUR.COM. Are they right? For the time being, Zalatoris said hes using a 44.75-inch driver shaft, down an inch and a quarter from his former 46-inch gamer. Zalatoris was born in San Francisco, California. 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Zalatoris was four shots off the lead at Wilmington (Del.) They checked with Smith, who confirmed it was touching the line. [14], In May 2022, Zalatoris finished second in a major championship for the second time. Will Zalatoris - Wikipedia It was quite the scene at Wilmington (Del.) Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. Will Zalatoris withdraws from Tour Championship, Presidents Cup with How much "louder" will LIV Golf get in its second season? Will Zalatoris scheduled to return at Sentry - pgatour.com Which is kind of a good thing and a bad thing, because when I was hitting the ball the way that I was, its hard to want to change anything, but at the same time I actually saw some benefits. "T" = tied The Korn Ferry trademark is also a registered trademark, and is used in the Korn Ferry Tour logo with permission. It was actually nice because I was able to bring the ball flight down, which, I mean, I know living in Texas youre used to hitting the ball low, but its doing it by itself as opposed to having to manipulate it. Spieths first tee shot flared right, but he scrambled to save par. 1, LIV Golf's debut on The CW scores low ratings, How to watch PGA Tour's Arnold Palmer Invitational on ESPN+, Kirk wins Honda in playoff; 1st title since 2015, Howell (63) wins in Mexico for 1st title in LIV, Nicklaus: '24 schedule likely to aid Honda field, Siem ends 8-year wait for another Euro Tour title, Vu overcomes 6-shot deficit to win 1st LPGA title, FedEx Cup leader Zalatoris WDs with back injury, Who can win the FedEx Cup? Zalatoris will collect $500,000 for 30th, or last place . Wills strong play continued and he finished in 2nd place at the 2021 Masters Tournament, one stroke behind the champion. He has suffered two herniated discs and has been away from the game. They are unarguably made for each other. William Patrick Zalatoris (born August 16, 1996) is an American professional golfer. A huge break for Zalatoris? A 24-year-old American golfer who isn't even on the PGA Tour yet won $1.2 million at the Masters and is reveling in his newfound fame. Zalatoris had four runners-up including three in major championships before winning in Memphis.