A huge break for Zalatoris? He admittedly got bored quickly with his recovery routine. The highlights of the season came when he finished 2nd at both the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open, then capped off an exceptional season with his first PGA Tour victory at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Zalatoris just missed earning one of the six automatic spots on the U.S. team for the Presidents Cup. The post included the caption, Best day of my life. 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. 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. Zalatoris, a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and a big Warriors fan, said his Stephen Curry-inspired retort was directed at all who have criticized his putting over the years. 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. [2] He attended Wake Forest University in North Carolina, and was named ACC Player of the Year in 2017. Will Zalatoris, the 25 year old who three second place finishes in majors but hadn't won a PGA Tour event yet in his young career, punched his way into the playoff by sinking a must-make, 10-foot. 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. 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. As the news broke on the internet, fans jumped into the comments section of his post to congratulate the newlywed star. Born in San Francisco, California, Will Zalatoris was introduced to the game early on playing with his parents at California Golf Club. Smith declined interview requests. And after all of those adjustments, Zalatoris and his teams fears of making changes to a swing that has already racked up six major top-10s in three years were unwarranted. Junior finalists to roommates", "Will Zalatoris Named ACC Player of the Year", "Will Zalatoris, a former Wake Forest star, hitting his stride on the Korn Ferry Tour", "Will Zalatoris wrote his caddie a check for the winner's share, then went and won", "U.S. Open: Will Zalatoris makes hole-in-one, almost does it again later in round", "Will Zalatoris surpasses KFT season earnings with U.S. Open T-6", "Golfer Will Zalatoris is PGA Tour rookie of the year", "Will Zalatoris shoots 61 to share lead at Sanderson Farms", "Luke List beats Will Zalatoris in a playoff at Farmers Insurance Open for first PGA Tour win", "Thomas wins 2nd PGA title in playoff after 7-shot rally", "Will Zalatoris comes up short at U.S. Open, his third runner-up finish at a major: 'I'm going to keep knocking on the door', "Will Zalatoris gets 1st PGA Tour win in playoff at Memphis", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Will_Zalatoris&oldid=1126465827, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 2017 General Hackler Championship, Rod Myers Invitational, Most consecutive cuts made 4 (2022 Masters - 2022 Open Championship, current), This page was last edited on 9 December 2022, at 13:40. Wills strong play continued and he finished in 2nd place at the 2021 Masters Tournament, one stroke behind the champion. [15], In June 2022, Zalatoris had another second place in a major championship. He even had his favorite spot right off the 18th hole where hed strategically place himself to get autographs from his favorite players. Zalatoris had four runners-up including three in major championships before winning in Memphis. Ill be better this time. 3. I have watched this 100 times and still cant explain it. His tee shot hit the bank and then bounced seven times on the rocks before coming to rest. This week is a limited-field tournanment with only last years winners and Tour Championship qualifiers. He did not participate in last weeks event, however. 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. He also has three runner-up finishes in major championships . 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. He teed off at 2:50 p.m. Find classes that best matches your needs. The two met at Wake Forest, where Zalatoris played college golf for three seasons before turning pro in 2018. Straka went to the drop zone, and his wedge went into the back bunker. He spent much of his teenage golfing years playing junior tournaments in Texas alongside his friend Jordan Spieth. 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. [6], Zalatoris turned professional in 2018 but failed to make it past First Stage of the Korn Ferry Tour Q School. A post shared by Will Zalatoris (@willzalatoris). This is the best of the best, Zalatoris said Tuesday ahead of the tournament. But. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Nevertheless, his first win would not be an easy one. Heading into the PGA Championship, Zalatoris had four top-10 finishes in his first seven career major championship appearances. A Golf Channel article said Zalatoris was seeking to return at the Hero World Challenge. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Stand with us in our mission to discover and uncover the story of North Texas, 10 things to know about Will Zalatoris, including his first PGA tour win, the 36-hole leader at the 2022 PGA Championship, ultimately falling short of his first major championship after losing to Justin Thomas in a three-hole playoff, ultimately fell one shot short of Matsuyama and finished in solo second place, good for a payday of $1,242,000, No. Will Zalatoris. Let us take your yoga routines to the next level with our 365 day challenge and programs schedule. PGA TOUR players on Scottie Schefflers breakout season. An MRI revealed that Zalatoris, 26, had two herniated disks. He recorded three 2nd Place finishes, nine Top-10 finishes, and ended the year ranked #7 in the Official World Golf Ranking. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. Spieths first tee shot flared right, but he scrambled to save par. Player Profile: Birthplace. He then withdrew from the following weeks TOUR Championship, finishing a disappointing 30th in the FedExCup after entering the week at No. Will Zalatoris has been struggling with a back injury since August. Kevin Prise is an associate editor for PGATOUR.COM. [3] In his junior year, Zalatoris was named All-ACC, First-Team GCAA All-American, First-Team Golf week All-American, Nicklaus Award finalist, Hogan Award semifinalist, played in all 12 events and had a scoring average of 70.14, third-best season average in school history. 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 was born August 16, 1996, to his parents, Richard Zalatoris and Catherine Zalatoris. 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. Fifty-four holes, no cut, that's an easy life" -- Padraig Harrington. 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. 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. It was quite the scene at Wilmington (Del.) He didnt exactly take it easy during his time off. The train of the wedding dress was spread over the stairs while she was holding white flowers in her hand. He hasnt been in a film in nearly 20 years, according to his imdb page. 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. Will Zalatoris spent his weekend on the greens, but not the one he's used to. Whenever we maybe mention something that you maybe want to change, I think all of us kind of had some red flags go up. "T" = Tied 1 in the world stays with Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, who missed the cut and spent Sunday playing Pine Valley for the first time. Will Zalatoris has been nursing a bad back since the FedEx Cup playoffs, but he found an important way to fill his schedule between starts by tying the knot. 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. 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. In Texas, we couldnt practice, but we could play. Zalatoris won't be replaced in the 30-man field at East Lake and will receive a $500,000 bonus. Each morning, he ate a full breakfast at 6 a.m. and then waited until late in the evening to have a robust dinner. 1 spot in the FedEx Cup standings after capturing his first PGA Tour win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. Zalatoris wanted to make swing changes to prevent an injury like this one from happening again. 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. A feat that would soon eclipsed by his performance at Augusta a month later, but was at the time a career highlight: First PLAYERS.Surprise messages from family and friends. Weve looked at everything I was doing, to make sure I was doing all the right things and we were checking all the boxes, and it was strictly a motor pattern thing, said Zalatoris, who has opted to temporarily decrease his driver length (to approximately 44.75 inches, down from 46 inches) as he works through the setup change. Zalatoris' first professional victory came in July 2020, when he narrowly won the TPC Colorado Championship by one stroke. Ill be better this time. Copyright 2023 PGA TOUR, Inc. All rights reserved. Like Spieth and Scheffler, Zalatoris received the opportunity to play in the AT&T Byron Nelson as a teenager through a sponsors exemption. For the first time in 138 days, Will Zalatoris will play a PGA Tour event this week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Amateur nearly a decade earlier. The two played golf nearly every day during the pandemic at Bent Tree or Carrolltons Maridoe Golf Club, formerly Columbian Country Club. A bad back is keeping the 26-year-old from competing in the Presidents Cup after qualifying for a spot at Quail Hollow. Zalatoris told Golf Digest I was lucky. But as Nelson week grew closer, those feelings the teenager were experiencing werent butterflies they were pains from an inflamed appendix. A month before his Masters breakthrough in 2021, Zalatoris was surprised by Romo with a congratulatory message for qualifying for The PLAYERS Championship. The Plano alum walked down the aisle with his long-term girlfriend, Caitlin Sellers, who has been his best friend since his college days. I love you., A post shared by Will Zalatoris (@willzalatoris). 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. QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play $14,217,888 Career Earnings. It was quite the scene at Wilmington (Del.) Amateur Championship titled "Junior talent flourishing on national scale. Zalatoris and Scheffler are separated by only a couple months in age, so the two played together quite frequently as juniors. Will Zalatoris, the 25-year-old golfer out of Dallas has finally grabbed his first PGA Tour victory, winning a three-hole playoff vs. Sepp Straka at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. NT = No tournament 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. Will Zalatoris after his missed putt on the . Im always available for you, Mr. Gilmore. Zalatoris had honors, but his shot was in trouble immediately. PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, and the Swinging Golfer design are registered trademarks. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 7 the season prior. How much "louder" will LIV Golf get in its second season? Its hard when youre the No. He had to sit out the Presidents Cup but did appear on-site to cheer on the U.S. He was born in San Francisco, and growing up he spent his formative golf years playing at the outstanding California Golf Club with his Dad. Maintaining a high spot on the OWGR allows golfers who have never won a major to earn exemptions into future majors. 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. Ive learned a lot about my body, probably more than I think I ever wanted to. Before heading off to play collegiately, he won both the Texas State Amateur and the U.S. Top 100 Courses in the U.S.: GOLFs all-new 2022-23 ranking is here! Aiming for his first PGA Tour win, Zalatoris might make the 2022 PGA Championship his first title. Sandler tweeted Have fun today young man. Will Zalatoris. Szokol opens with 64, up 3 shots in Singapore, More PGA Tour changes: No cuts, smaller fields, Rahm sought Tiger's advice on staying No. They checked with Smith, who confirmed it was touching the line. Its just because of the efficiency now of how I push into a golf ball.. Is Dallas becoming unaffordable due to rising housing costs, inflation and stagnating pay? Follow Kevin Prise on Twitter. He finished the season ranked #1 in SG: Approach and #1 SG: Tee-to-Green. Spoiler alert: It's yet to be announced, but the course is almost certain to be added as the 2041 Ryder Cup site. How much "louder" will LIV Golf get in its second season? Let him tell you about adult film, 'It's f----- hard': Jon Rahm comes back to Earth at brutal Bay Hill, How to watch the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational on Friday: Round 2 TV schedule, streaming, One of the worst things to happen: Pro rants after PGA Tour change, 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational tee times: Round 2 groupings for Friday, How to watch the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational on Thursday: Round 1 TV schedule, streaming, 5 ways the PGA Tour just got better (and 3 ways it got worse! 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. Meanwhile, No. He also set the individual scoring average of 70.44 at Wake Forest University. 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. They are unarguably made for each other. He teed off at 2:50 p.m. He also fell short of winning the 2022 U.S. Open, with Matthew Fitzpatrick making Zalatoris a major runner-up for the third time. He had a 25-foot putt for the win on the 18th on the first playoff hole and had to make a 7-footer the second time around to stay in the game. [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. Will picked up his first professional victory in 2020 at the TPC Colorado Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour. Stars are everywhere on the leaderboard heading into the weekend at Bay Hill. Country Club when he tweaked his lower back. Zalatoris won on the third playoff hole. He could have been referring to his runner-up finish to Hideki Matsuyama in the Masters last year or the playoff losses at Torrey Pines and at Southern Hills in the PGA Championship or most recently the putt that burned the edge of the cup that kept him from a U.S. Open playoff. Country Club, FedEx Cup leader Will Zalatoris withdraws from BMW Championship with injury, How can you argue were underpaid?: Will Zalatoris baffled by LIV cash craze, 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions: How to watch, TV schedule, streaming, tee times, What is Jim Nantzs career lowlight?' He went to the drop zone, hit to 7 feet and let his raised hands drop over his head in relief when he made the winning putt. Junior Amateur title in 2014. Get the latest D-FW sports news, analysis, scores and more. Zalatoris looked to be in trouble from a fairway bunker on the 18th in regulation until he made that 10-footer for par at a 4-under 66. "This course is where every shot you hit you're on the edge of your seat," Straka said. Zalatoris moves into the top 10 in the world for the first time and takes the No. Im more efficient in my golf swing, he said. He secured membership for the remainder of the season on July 7 after a tie for third at the LECOM Health Challenge, and finished the regular season 60th in points, earning full status for the 2020 season.[8]. Zalatorisand his playing partner, Emiliano Grillo, let the group of Sam Burns and Adam Hadwin through as they waited for the PGA Tour physio. Please logout and login again. Junior Amateur title in 2014. And then Smith was four shots back without hitting a shot. 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. Zalatoris notches first PGA Tour victory in playoff, A battle for No. Born in San Francisco, California, Will Zalatoris was introduced to the game early on playing with his parents at California Golf Club. 1 spot in the FedEx Cup, assuring him a reasonable shot at the $18 million prize in two weeks. 7 World Ranking. 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. 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 . 27 in the Official World Golf Rankings. He actually learned the way he generated power could have led to the back issues in the first place. At seventh in the Presidents Cup points standings, he likely would have been among the six captain's choices for the team. Zalatoris took that attitude all the way to the final group on Saturday. "It's hard to say, 'About time,' when it's your second year on tour, but it's about time," Zalatoris said. Zalatoris just missed earning one of the six automatic spots on the U.S. team for the Presidents Cup. Also moving into the top 70 were Adam Scott, Andrew Putnam and Wyndham Clark, who had reason to think he had thrown away his chances when he played a four-hole stretch in 4-over par and had to save par on the 18th for a 72. Caitlin has changed her last name to Zalatoris on her Instagram account. 8:12 AM on May 21, 2022 CDT Updated at 11:37 PM on Aug 14, 2022 CDT. Pro V1x Titleist Golf Ball. "T" = tied He was the highest-ranked player in the world without a TOUR win before beating Sepp Straka in a playoff at TPC Southwind. In April 2021, Zalatoris was second in the Masters Tournament with a score of 9-under-par, finishing one stroke behind champion Hideki Matsuyama, the first male Japanese player to win a major. The former Wake Forest star and 2014 U.S. Much like fellow 25-year-old DFW golf star Scottie Scheffler (who was born in New Jersey but moved to the Metroplex when he was in elementary school), Zalatoris was born outside of the Lone Star State but moved to Texas as a youngster and thrived in the local golf scene. After getting initial golf instruction from former U.S. Open champion Ken Venturi as a 6 year old in San Francisco, most of Zalatoris learning and development came in Texas after he moved to Texas as a pre-teen. Mark Wahlberg pours tequila for fans at Dallas restaurant during thunderstorm, 12 Dallas-Fort Worth restaurants that have closed in 2023, Dallas Cowboys focused on adding another dynamic offensive weapon, UIL boys basketball playoffs (4A/3A): Faith Family stays composed; Carter finds rhythm. Back in 2015, he finished T4 at the Pacific Coast Amateur shortly after returning from an emergency appendectomy. After withdrawing from the 2021 Open Championship due to a muscular issue, he finished T8 in his next start, the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational three weeks later. 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. He even married his longtime sweetheart, Caitlin. The Korn Ferry trademark is also a registered trademark, and is used in the Korn Ferry Tour logo with permission. pic.twitter.com/qtEj1JyZdL. We believe she is now a marketing analyst in Texas. But the role most golf fans know van Snellenberg for is the role of Happy Gilmores caddie in the 1996 film Happy Gilmore. For the first time in 138 days, Will Zalatoris will play a PGA Tour event this week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. It made us all really sharp. 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. The former Wake Forest star was in third position in the FedEx Cup playoffs points standings and was slated to start 3 strokes behind leader Scottie Scheffler in his first appearance in the Tour Championship, which begins Thursday. Its also the first of the PGA Tours new elevated events, with a $15 million purse. 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. He has suffered two herniated discs and has been away from the game. 21st 310.9 Driving Distance. The shorter driver allows him more time to bring a potential right miss back on line, he said. The fix: adjusting his setup, with the goal of reducing the strain on his back. Scott is the Breaking News Editor for the Dallas Morning News. He had attended every Nelson since he was 9 years old. After sustaining a back injury in the first round of the 149th British Open, Will Zalatoris has withdrawn from his debut at the championship. 1, LIV Golf's debut on The CW scores low ratings, How to watch PGA Tour's Arnold Palmer Invitational on ESPN+, Kirk wins Honda in playoff; 1st title since 2015, Howell (63) wins in Mexico for 1st title in LIV, Nicklaus: '24 schedule likely to aid Honda field, Siem ends 8-year wait for another Euro Tour title, Vu overcomes 6-shot deficit to win 1st LPGA title, FedEx Cup leader Zalatoris WDs with back injury, Who can win the FedEx Cup? Zalatoris came close to sending the U.S. Open to a playoff on Sunday, only to finish disappointed once again. "I am beyond disappointed," he . There's a legitimate possibility it could happen again on Sunday as Will Zalatoris hovers near the top of the leaderboard. WD = withdrew Spieth then birdied six of the next eight holes for a 29 on his way to a course-record 63. Zalatoris qualified for the upcoming Sentry Tournament of Champions by winning his first PGA TOUR title at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He has competed primarily on the PGA Tour, where he has won once, at the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship . Zalatoris called the process the "easiest 15 pounds [he's] ever put on." . But the speeds the same, everything feels really good.. MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The 10-foot par putt in regulation was so crucial and the moment so important that Will Zalatoris doesn't remember screaming out when he made it, "What are they gonna say now?". Zalatoris will collect $500,000 for 30th, or last place . He came shot consistently all weekend, shooting a 69 in each round Thursday- Saturday. "Playing the cutline is one of the toughest things in golf. Zalatoris was voted PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for the 202021 season. 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. Zalatoris, 26, was injured on the third hole of the third round of the BMW Championship on Saturday at Wilmington Country Club in Delaware. "The first three local golfers pictured: 16-year-old Jordan Spieth, 13-year-old Will Zalatoris and 13-year-old Scottie Scheffler.They turned out OK. pic.twitter.com/bp5TlirfkB. Straka, already a winner this year in the Honda Classic, narrowly missed a 20-foot birdie putt for the victory on the 18th for a 67. Not really. Zalatoris took a while to collect his first PGA Tour win, but his rookie year was one for the ages. Zalatoris sat atop the FedExCup standings after winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship, but he had to withdraw early in the third round of the following weeks BMW Championship. It brought me back to being a kid. When my right hip gets high and the spine tilts back, youre all of a sudden creating all that stress on your back. TSR3 Titleist Driver. 1. The first event of 2023 also could be Will Zalatoris first start since August. Representing Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, a suburb of Dallas, Texas, Zalatoris won the U.S. 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.. In 2009, @dallasnews ran an advance for the 2009 U.S. "He is also very disappointed that he will not have the opportunity to play in next month's Presidents Cup, where he was hoping to play for Captain [Davis] Love and represent the United States," Zalatoris' agent, Allen Hobbs, said in a statement. 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. He is on a lifelong quest to break 80 on a course that exceeds 6,000 yards and to see the Buffalo Bills win a Super Bowl. 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.