Twenty-four-year-old Will Zalatoris became a household name seemingly overnight when he contended at the Masters earlier this year.
And so far at this week’s PGA Championship at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course, Zalatoris has again placed himself right back in the mix at the year’s second major.
Conditions have been tough at the ultra-long Ocean Course, and even the early-round leaders failed to escape without a blemish or two on the scorecard. Zalatoris bogeyed two of his first five holes to arrive on 514-yard par-4 6th tee at two-over on the day. After hitting a blistering 344-yard drive into the left-center of the fairway, he was left with 119 yards to the hole.
With a steady breeze blowing right-to-left, Zalatoris hit a towering short-iron approach that drew softly toward the pin. The ball landed a few yards long and right of the hole, and then took a big hop and spun back, rolling for several seconds before dropping effortlessly into the hole.
The eagle brought Zalatoris back to even par on the day, and he capitalized on the positive momentum by making a tap-in birdie on the par-5 7th, bringing him to one under overall and to within two shots of the tournament leaders.
