Headed into the Masters, Will Zalatoris seemed primed to make a serious run at winning a green jacket.
Not only does the 26-year-old have an excellent track record in majors, but after two T10 finishes in his only appearances at Augusta, it also seemed as if course history was on his side. It’s why BetMGM had his odds to win the Masters at +3300 odds going into the week.
But the high hopes came to a halt before he even teed off.
On Thursday, Zalatoris was forced to withdraw from the Masters due to a lingering back injury. It was the second time in the past eight months that he had to withdraw from a tournament because of it — with the first time coming during the third round of the BMW Championship in August.
Ultimately, he was diagnosed with two herniated disks. And now he’s already undergone surgery to help get himself back as quick as possible.
Will Zalatoris injury update
On Monday morning, Zalatoris provided some saddening news about the back injury, sharing on Instagram the following message — which will force him to miss the remainder of the PGA Tour season.
With six T10 finishes in majors since 2020, the injury is, no doubt, a blow to Zalatoris’ goals for the year.
But during the Sentry Tournament of Champions (where he finished fourth) in January, Zalatoris admitted that the injury was already forcing him to change his swing.
“We spent a lot of time understanding the pressures on my golf swing and understanding how I push off my right side.
“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 my spine is tilted back, and so as Dr. (Greg) Rose said, ‘duh, no wonder I had a back issue.’”
Understanding how difficult it was for him to play at his best, the decision to get the surgery done and start rehabbing seems like a prudent one. Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery and a return to form as he prepares for next season.