Author: Jack Hirsch June 29, 2024
Ben Jared/PGA Tour via Getty Images
Will Zalatoris has been bitten by the injury bug again.
The talented PGA Tour star first injured his back in 2022 and has struggled to stay healthy since then, leading to another early withdrawal from an event, this time at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Zalatoris finished Saturday's third round with three bogeys, one double and two birdies (one on the final hole) after eight holes and shook hands with playing partners Nick Dunlap and Dylan Wu before retiring. He was 4 under par for the tournament after shooting an opening 66 on Thursday.
CBS' Amanda Balionis reported during the network's broadcast of Round 3 that Zalatoris felt a “pop” in his lower back and emphasized that it was Zalatoris' “good” lower back. His “bad” lower back was the lower back near the two herniated discs that led to him undergoing microdiscectomy surgery in April 2023 after withdrawing from the Masters.
Zalatoris also told Balionis that he was “finally starting to get tired” after competing in his fourth tournament in four weeks.
“Will experienced discomfort after his swing today and has made the difficult decision to withdraw out of an abundance of caution,” Zalatoris' manager, Allen Hobbs, said in a statement released by the PGA Tour. “It is important that Will listen to his body and take some rest. He is reluctant to withdraw from the Rocket Mortgage Classic and looks forward to returning to the course soon.”
Zalatoris is in the midst of his second comeback season after competing in just seven events before undergoing season-ending surgery in 2023. He originally sustained the injury at the 2022 BMW Championship, the week after his breakthrough win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
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After taking time off to rehab and make swing changes to ease strain on his back, Zalatoris returned at the 2023 Sentry and finished 11th, notching one top-10 finish before his surgery in April and didn't return until last December's Hero World Challenge.
The 2024 Zalatoris re-examined his swing to eliminate injury risk and has appeared to be successful so far, finishing in the top 10 at both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Masters after an emotional runner-up finish at the Genesis Invitational in February.
Recently, Zalatoris has yet to withdraw from a tournament this season, but his play has betrayed him a bit: He hasn't finished higher than a tie for 41st since Augusta and missed the cut at both the Zurich Classic team event and the U.S. Open.
Jack Hirsch Editor, Golf.com
Jack Hirsh is an Assistant Editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack graduated from Penn State University in 2020 with degrees in Broadcast Journalism and Political Science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently rejoined the team as head coach. Jack strives to stay competitive among local amateurs as well. Prior to joining GOLF, Jack worked for two years at a television station in Bend, Oregon, working primarily as a multimedia journalist/reporter but also producing, anchoring and weather reporting. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.