3. Zalatoris, 24, played in Saturday's final round alongside Justin Rose. He also fell short of winning the 2022 U.S. Open, with Matthew Fitzpatrick making Zalatoris a major runner-up for the third time. It came up well short of the green, and as it bounced eight times along the stone facade separating dry land from the water, it . Will and Caitlin have been dating each other since they met in 2018 at Wake Forest College. Results not in chronological order before 2019 and in 2020. Ive learned a lot about my body, probably more than I think I ever wanted to, Zalatoris said Tuesday afternoon in Hawaii. Zalatoris had honors, but his shot was in trouble immediately. Zalatoris was born in San Francisco, California. When tournaments started up, I was ready to go. Be a little more centered, as opposed to having ball forward with more spine tilt at address, Zalatoris said. It was there that Zalatoris, a 24-year-old upstart that was playing in Korn Ferry Tour events just six months earlier, found himself battling it out with Hideki Matsuyama and fellow DFW product Jordan Spieth for a green jacket. Besides him, Will Zalatoris' fans showered their blessings on the couple. "That was another good step for Will," said . Clark finished at No. Let us take your workout routines to the next level with our 365 day challenge and programs schedule. Being in contention as much as I was last year, theres just no better feeling than it, Zalatoris said Tuesday. He lost a sudden-death playoff to Luke List when List hit his approach shot to a foot away from the first playoff hole and made birdie. Watching some of my friends play, going to the Presidents Cup, kind of keeping my mind active and spending some time with the guys back home, even just riding around in a cart when they were playing, Zalatoris described his downtime, keep my mind active, even though my body wouldnt let me. He is fully focused on getting healthy and back onto the course as soon as he is able.". For the first time in 138 days, Will Zalatoris will play a PGA Tour event this week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Zalatoris won on the third playoff hole. Special moment for @WillZalatoris.pic.twitter.com/4ks8CzchhY. He tried to play through the injury but withdrew on the next hole. They examined the pressures of his swing, concluding a motor pattern was the root cause of the strain on his back. Zalatoris Masters breakthrough wasnt even the highlight of his month back in April of 2021. Critics say new PGA Tour events copy LIV. Sharing the good news, the Texas native posted a slew of glamorous pictures with a caption that said: Earlier this week, he again took to his social media account to share a happy moment from his wedding. Theres not much time to shake the rust; Zalatoris is quickly back to the throes of elite competition. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. 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. According to Golf Monthly, Sellers has completed her post-graduate studies at the University of Texas and is most likely working as a marketing analyst. And that would keep alive a crazy stat: of the seven major championships played at Southern Hills, all were won by a player who led or co-led the tournament through 36 holes. 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. The comparisons got so mainstream that even Adam Sandler, star of Happy Gilmore, tweeted Zalatoris during the 2021 Masters and joined the fray. For the first time in 138 days, Will Zalatoris will play a PGA Tour event this week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. He also set the individual scoring average of 70.44 at Wake Forest University. Zalatoris, the ninth-ranked player in the Official World Golf Ranking, also won't compete in next month's Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina, his agent announced on Twitter. So it was actually kind of a nice fix.. That included events like the 2009 U.S. In a picture shared on his Instagram page, Will Zalatoris was dressed in blue formals with a matching bow tie while his gorgeous wife Caitlin was in the limelight in her elegant white wedding gown. William Patrick Zalatoris (born August 16, 1996) is an American professional golfer. Team. After attending Wake Forest for her undergraduate degree, Sellers went to the University of Texas to complete her Masters degree. Something went wrong while submitting the form. Impact Zalatoris played in his first tournament since tweaking his back at the BMW Championship in August. Zalatoris called the process the "easiest 15 pounds [he's] ever put on." . pic.twitter.com/qtEj1JyZdL. 1 player strokes gained tee to green this past year, or at least approach, to want to go in and say, hey, you need to make some changes. He has suffered two herniated discs and has been away from the game. 1. Amateur, when Zalatoris qualified as a 12 year old and competed as a 13 year old, alongside Scheffler and Spieth. 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. At the U.S. Open, he aced the par-3 seventh hole during the first round, very nearly replicating it six holes later,[10] and tied for sixth place, at five-over par, alongside world number one Dustin Johnson; it was his first top-10 finish in a major championship. [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. CUT = missed the half-way cut Friday night, The Caddie Networks John Rathouz caught up with the caddie for Zalatoris, Ryan Goble, who was enjoying some veg time after a dinner of Mexican food in Tulsa. PGA:How to watch|ESPN+ streaming|Leaderboard|Saturday tee times. Its the PGA TOURs first designated event of 2023, with 17 of the top 20 players on the Official World Golf Ranking set to compete at the Plantation Course at Kapalua. Was all but a lock to make roster as a captains pick, begging the question of who will replace him, How Will Zalatoris turned his putter into a strength. [6], Zalatoris turned professional in 2018 but failed to make it past First Stage of the Korn Ferry Tour Q School. He was in the trees, close to a boundary fence on the 18th on the second playoff hole, when he wisely chipped out and made a 15-foot par putt. 2. Im more efficient in my golf swing, he said. Now, hes back, and at another big-time event. We basically kind of went through a whole assessment of seeing where Im at and it was really I think keeping longevity in mind as opposed to anything else. Claims victory in first FedExCup Playoffs event before advancing to BMW Championship, Will Zalatoris new driver before Genesis Scottish Open, For all other business inquiries please contact Allen Hobbs: ahobbs@playersgroupmanagement.com, Our Address: Players Group Management Fan Mail - Will Zalatoris1800 Alexander Bell DriveSuite 200 Reston, VA 20191. Straka went to the drop zone, and his wedge went into the back bunker. The fix: adjusting his setup, with the goal of reducing the strain on his back. He came shot consistently all weekend, shooting a 69 in each round Thursday- Saturday. He previously worked for the DMN sports department from 2010-2022, where he served as SportsDay's lead digital strategist and oversaw coverage of college sports, HS sports, Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars, soccer and golf. Let us take your yoga routines to the next level with our 365 day challenge and programs schedule. He tends to push off his right side later than most; with his level of side bend, his right hip is high with his spine tilted back. Be the first one to comment on this story. Luckily for Zalatoris, Nelson organizers honored the exemption the following year and he made the start as a 19 year old. Zalatoris zoomed up the leaderboard Friday with a second-round 65 to take the solo lead at 9 under. At the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship, Will Zalatoris claimed his first victory on the PGA TOUR in dramatic fashion with rounds of 71-63-65-66 to finish at. [9] The win moved him to the leader on the Korn Ferry Tour points list and qualified him for the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. The Korn Ferry trademark is also a registered trademark, and is used in the Korn Ferry Tour logo with permission. Fifty-four holes, no cut, that's an easy life" -- Padraig Harrington. 8 in the standings and is assured his first trip to the Tour Championship at East Lake. He birdied the first hole, made only one other birdie, shot 70 and tied for 13th. 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. The post included the caption, Best day of my life. Wills strong play continued and he finished in 2nd place at the 2021 Masters Tournament, one stroke behind the champion. Im always available for you, Mr. Gilmore., If youre ever in need of a caddie again let me know. Thursday afternoon in Hawaii cant come soon enough. 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.. He lost to Justin Thomas in a playoff in the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Will Zalatoris spent his weekend on the greens, but not the one he's used to. It ended up being the second PGA Tour event of his career he earned a spot in the field of the 2015 Northern Trust by winning a collegiate showcase. Will Zalatoris hilariously explained why Phil Mickelson could play Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore remake. Will Zalatoris finished second at the Masters in his first time playing Augusta National. Zalatoris was born in 1996 on the 16th of August. 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. [2] He attended Wake Forest University in North Carolina, and was named ACC Player of the Year in 2017. ), PGA Tour makes big changes to 2024 designated events, including smaller fields and no cuts, 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational tee times: Round 1 groupings for Thursday. A closer look: For a while, Zalatoris was known as the golfer with the most money and the best ranking who had never won a PGA Tour event. During the hiatus, Zalatoris spent time with Greg Rose, a Doctor of Chiropractic at the Titleist Performance Institute, conducting an assessment with the goal of promoting career longevity. Will Zalatoris watches his putt on the 9th. At seventh in the Presidents Cup points standings, he likely would have been among the six . Musician Gryffin congratulated the golfer in the comments section. [7] With no status in 2019, Zalatoris relied on Monday qualifying and sponsor exemptions to play in Korn Ferry Tour events. They checked with Smith, who confirmed it was touching the line. Zalatoris notches first PGA Tour victory in playoff, A battle for No. Our crew of Davis Riley, Kevin Dougherty and Tony Romo played money games five days a week for four months. Zalatoris led the TOUR last season in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green, after ranking No. Will and family moved to Dallas, Texas when he was 9 years old and he began working hard on his game while competing in top junior tournaments. "T" = tied Will Zalatoris WDs from British Open after feeling 'tingling' in his leg during first round. "This course is where every shot you hit you're on the edge of your seat," Straka said. Its also the first of the PGA Tours new elevated events, with a $15 million purse. 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. The train of the wedding dress was spread over the stairs while she was holding white flowers in her hand. Zalatoris has played just 40 holes since his thrilling playoff with Straka in the opening event of this years FedExCup Playoffs. But. Prior to moving to Dallas, he worked at the Detroit Free Press. As the news broke on the internet, fans jumped into the comments section of his post to congratulate the newlywed star. 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. He finished second in two majors this year, losing a playoff to Justin Thomas at the PGA Championship and narrowly missing a birdie putt on the 72nd hole of the U.S. Open that would have tied him with Fitzpatrick. Top 100 Courses in the U.S.: GOLFs all-new 2022-23 ranking is here! The two met at Wake Forest, where Zalatoris played college golf for three seasons before turning pro in 2018. 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.. Will Zalatoris found the end of Netflix.. 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. The Plano alum walked down the aisle with his long-term girlfriend, Caitlin Sellers, who has been his best friend. TULSA, Okla. Will Zalatoris is looking to keep the Southern Hills major streak alive. ATLANTA -- Will Zalatoris, who picked up his first PGA Tour victory two weeks ago, has withdrawn from the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club because of two herniated disks in his back. Are they right? Zalatoris was voted PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for the 202021 season. And that would keep. He had no realistic shot. Find more golf coverage from The Dallas Morning News here. How much "louder" will LIV Golf get in its second season? Tyler Lauletta. 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. But in the name of avoiding future injury, hes working through the proverbial process. After his first TOUR victory at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in mid-August, the first of three FedExCup Playoffs events, Zalatoris was forced to withdraw during the third round of the following weeks BMW Championship due to injury. Country Club when he tweaked his lower back. At seventh in the Presidents Cup points standings, he likely would have been among the six captain's choices for the team. We believe she is now a marketing analyst in Texas. They are unarguably made for each other. The two played golf nearly every day during the pandemic at Bent Tree or Carrolltons Maridoe Golf Club, formerly Columbian Country Club. Will Zalatoris is set to make his first TOUR start since the BMW Championship last August. PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, and the Swinging Golfer design are registered trademarks. 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. At the FedEx St. Jude Championships, Zalatoris entered a three-hole playoff vs. Sepp Straka that could have very well swung Strakas way had some balls bounced differently. The current leader in the FedEx Cup standings. He has competed primarily on the PGA Tour, where he has won once, at the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship . Zalatoris is among a notable list of first-time TOUR winners who have committed to the Sentry Tournament of Champions, which will be played Jan. 5-8 at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on the Hawaiian island of Maui. 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. Not really. Will Zalatoris is looking to keep the Southern Hills major streak alive. And I do it later than a lot of guys, so what that does for someone with a lot of side bend is that gets my right hip high and on my spines tilted back, and so as Dr. Rose said, duh, no wonder I had a back issue.. He finished tied with Scottie Scheffler at the U.S. Open behind Matt Fitzpatrick at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. 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Zalatoris, 26, was injured on the third hole of the third round of the BMW Championship on Saturday at Wilmington Country Club in Delaware. Zalatoris shot 1-under 69 on Thursday, but on the 15th hole he drove into the thick rough. Before heading off to play collegiately, he won both the Texas State Amateur and the U.S. 1 spot in the FedEx Cup standings after capturing his first PGA Tour win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. Scott is the Breaking News Editor for the Dallas Morning News. Zalatoris' rise presents a confluence of charmed bliss and valuable struggle. Zalatoris didnt end up winning the hardware that year, but he did hoist the trophy a few years later. 1, a loaded LPGA field and more to watch in golf this week, Here's everything you missed this week in professional golf, Jin Young Ko up by 2 in Singapore title defense, Quigley fires 65 for early lead in PGA Champions, Kitayama handles windy Bay Hill as Rahm falters, Tiger not part of field for next week's Players, Young stretches lead to 4 in Puerto Rico Open, Rahm stays hot, finishes strong for Bay Hill lead, Rookie Young captures Puerto Rico lead with 63. Will was voted the 2020-2021 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year by his peers. A huge break for Zalatoris? Junior Amateur title in 2014. Id go to the course, carrying my bag, playing with my buddies, just trying to beat the crap out of each other. Amateur nearly a decade earlier. Zalatoris entered August's BMW Championship in the advantageous No. The couple, who have been dating for a long time, announced their engagement back in April 2021 and have since been very vocal about their relationship. Will Zalatoris has been struggling with a back injury since August. Like Spieth and Scheffler, Zalatoris received the opportunity to play in the AT&T Byron Nelson as a teenager through a sponsors exemption. He came close to winning three times in 2022, including two major championships, before finally breaking out for his first victory. Junior Amateur in 2014. He shared the good news via his official Instagram page on December 13. During the 2021-2022 PGA Tour season, Will continued to rise in the world of golf. He also has three runner-up finishes in major championships. One wrote: There was a slew of hundreds of comments from Will Zalatoris's family, friends, and fans congratulating him on the start of the new chapter of his life. He actually learned the way he generated power could have led to the back issues in the first place. TSR3 Titleist Driver. Spieths first tee shot flared right, but he scrambled to save par. One of Zalatoris favorite stories to tell about the three is a time when he and Scheffler were 11 and they played a round with Spieth (who was 14 at the time) at Bent Tree. Mr. Gilmore is watching you and very proud., Zalatoris handled it with good humor, responding to Sandler by saying If youre ever in need of a caddie again let me know. Ranking all 30 Tour Championship players, The 30 players headed to the Tour Championship and finale of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs, Author of seven books on college football. Having finished runner-up in three majors in his career, it seemed to be only a matter of time before Zalatoris finally collected a title. Aiming for his first PGA Tour win, Zalatoris might make the 2022 PGA Championship his first title. Zalatoris breakthrough at Augusta was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to strong showings at major championships. 21st 310.9 Driving Distance. [4] He was also a member of the U.S. Walker Cup team in 2017, teammates with future PGA Tour winners Collin Morikawa and Cameron Champ. The 26-year-old has long displayed an aptitude for quickly bouncing back from injury. Zalatoris experienced a string of close calls last year namely six top-six finishes in an eight-event stretch, including runner-up finishes at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open before his breakthrough victory at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. 3. The former Trinity Christian Academy-Addison star is one of the top American golfers less than two years removed from grinding on the Korn Ferry Tour. 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 . He has displayed a good feel for the golf course (particularly the greens) and opened with rounds of 70-68. Player Profile: Birthplace. Oops! He finished the season ranked #1 in SG: Approach and #1 SG: Tee-to-Green. It brought me back to being a kid. Zalatoris won't be replaced in the 30-man field at East Lake and will receive a $500,000 bonus. "Add the nerves of competing for a tournament to that, especially for a playoff event, and yeah, it can get a little crazy.". Nevertheless, his first win would not be an easy one. "Playing the cutline is one of the toughest things in golf. Spoiler alert: It's yet to be announced, but the course is almost certain to be added as the 2041 Ryder Cup site. And then Smith was four shots back without hitting a shot. Zalatoris wanted to make swing changes to prevent an injury like this one from happening again. Will Zalatoris is a rising star on the PGA Tour who has three top-10 finishes in the . Zalatoris and Scheffler are separated by only a couple months in age, so the two played together quite frequently as juniors. So just keep doing what were doing and let the next win get in the way.. NT = No tournament 34 and has a good chance of being part of the top 30 who go to the Tour Championship to play for that $18 million first prize. Junior Amateur title in 2014. He became the first player to be voted Rookie of the Year without having a card in 20 years (Charles Howell III did so in 2001). Nothing was more wild than the final hole. It took three playoff holes to get the answer on Sunday in the FedEx St. Jude Championship, and it was more along the lines of what they won't say. NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic. Will Zalatoris. Zalatoris (back) pulls out of Tour Championship, A battle for No. I feel really good with everything, Zalatoris said. When Zalatoris first broke onto the golf scene, golf fans on social media were quick to point out their favorite Zalatoris doppelgngers. However, the Sentry Tournament of Champions recently announced that Zalatoris is expected in the field for the event in early January. 27 in the Official World Golf Rankings, earned a spot in the tournament through local qualifying, had to withdraw in his British Open debut because of an injury he suffered late in his first round, proposed to his long-time girlfriend Caitlin Sellers, fellow 25-year-old DFW golf star Scottie Scheffler, getting initial golf instruction from former U.S. Open champion Ken Venturi as a 6 year old in San Francisco, they were pains from an inflamed appendix, he earned a spot in the field of the 2015 Northern Trust by winning a collegiate showcase, the title he has reserved for former Cowboys QB Tony Romo, 10 things to know about Scottie Scheffler: 25-year-old Masters champ has taken golf world by storm, 10 things you may not know about Jordan Spieth, including how he battled a shark, getting asked out by Miss Texas in a freestyle rap, Find more golf coverage from The Dallas Morning News here, The Cowboys are closer than you think to a total makeover at running back, Why Rangers cautious approach with pitchers in spring training could still be risky, Jerry Jones talks Dak Prescotts Tom Brady-esque qualities and more from the NFL combine, Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving duos on-the-fly rapport gets test from Kevin Durant, Suns, A week after torching the Stars, Max Domi joins Dallas in its march toward the playoffs, DeSotos chase for third straight title continues after rout of Pearland in 6A semifinals, UIL boys basketball playoffs (6A): Tre Johnson, Lake Highlands shine; DeSoto defense rises, 2023 UIL girls state basketball: Schedule, previews and more for Dallas-area teams, 2023 UIL girls basketball state tournament pairings: See schedule for semifinal matchups, 2023 UIL boys basketball regional tournament pairings: See schedule for Dallas-area teams, 3 children killed, 2 wounded at Ellis County home; suspect in custody, How a Texas districts reaction to school shooting fears highlights discipline concerns. Sandler tweeted Have fun today young man. 121, knowing that only the top 70 advance to the next tournament. Will Zalatoris after his missed putt on the . Zalatoris had to have an emergency appendectomy. Zalatoris is no longer the best on the PGA Tour without a victory. William Patrick Zalatoris (born August 16, 1996) is an American professional golfer. ET in the final group with Mito Pereira. But during the third round at Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware, Zalatoris suffered a back injury on the third hole. QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play Lucas Glover came away with a consolation prize. Im more efficient in my golf swing -- so thats why the speed is the same with the shorter driver; its just because of the efficiency now of how I push into a golf ball.. [13], In January 2022, Zalatoris tied for the lead of the Farmers Insurance Open after 72 holes. Its just because of the efficiency now of how I push into a golf ball.. The newly married couple posed for the camera, standing side by side with Will Zalatoris' hands resting on his wife's waist. Kim is the first player since Tiger Woods to win twice on TOUR before turning 21.