Will Zalatoris burst onto the scene on the PGA Tour in 2021, finishing in the top 10 eight times including a runner-up at his first appearance at the Masters on his way to becoming the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. He followed that up with another strong campaign in 2022, winning his first event and finishing as the runner-up at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open.
Zalatoris seemed to be one of the next young stars of golf, but a back injury derailed his progress in 2023, causing him to require surgery and spend the second half of the year rehabbing. He hasn’t quite reached the same heights since returning to the PGA Tour in 2024, and his efforts to get back to being one of the best players in the world hit another setback this month.
After missing the weekend at the Masters (where he had never finished outside the top 10) and the PGA Championship, Zalatoris received an MRI to determine the cause of his growing back discomfort and learned he had re-herniated two disks. On Monday, the 28-year-old announced on social media he underwent the second back surgery of his young career.
“Hey everyone, sharing a health update. This spring, I started feeling some discomfort and instability in my back that progressively got worse. Following the PGA Championship, an MRI showed that I had re-herniated two discs. After discussing the options with my medical team, I underwent surgery this past Friday with Dr. Michael Duffy at the Texas Back Institute. I’m happy to say that I woke up feeling good and excited about my long-term back health. Time to focus on my recovery and get back after it. Thank you to my team, friends, and family for being there for me throughout this journey. Looking forward to seeing everyone in the fall!!!”
Now Zalatoris faces another lengthy recovery and rehab process that will end his season, but he hopes to be back on the course later in the fall. If there’s a silver lining to having a second back surgery it is that Zalatoris knows what to expect from the recovery process and will know the steps he needs to take to get back on the golf course and continue his climb back toward the top of the world rankings.