Find more golf coverage from The Dallas Morning News here. Will Zalatoris hilariously explained why Phil Mickelson could play Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore remake. In a picture shared on his Instagram page, Will Zalatoris was dressed in blue formals with a matching bow tie while his gorgeous wife Caitlin was in the limelight in her elegant white wedding gown. He has competed primarily on the PGA Tour, where he has won once, at the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship . He came close to winning three times in 2022, including two major championships, before finally breaking out for his first victory. He . Zalatorisand his playing partner, Emiliano Grillo, let the group of Sam Burns and Adam Hadwin through as they waited for the PGA Tour physio. A closer look: For a while, Zalatoris was known as the golfer with the most money and the best ranking who had never won a PGA Tour event. How much "louder" will LIV Golf get in its second season? But that showing not only made him a household name to a number of previously unaware golf fans, it also vaulted Zalatoris to No. Will Zalatoris is set to make his first TOUR start since the BMW Championship last August. He had no realistic shot. Will Zalatoris has withdrawn from the TOUR Championship with two herniated discs in his back. 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. While Zalatoris isnt the biggest guy on tour hes listed by the PGA Tour at 6-foot-2, 175 lbs he said hes still largely avoided back injuries throughout his career, save one instance in July 2021. He played his fourth shot out to 4 feet as Zalatoris was still going over his options. Zalatoris is making his first start since withdrawing from the BMW Championship in August. Glover closed with a 66 and wound up in a tie for third. ET in the final group with Mito Pereira. 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. The comparisons got so mainstream that even Adam Sandler, star of Happy Gilmore, tweeted Zalatoris during the 2021 Masters and joined the fray. "Considering where Sepp was and he had 4 feet for 5, there's no reason for me to try that shot and make it bank right into the grass and go back in the water and all of a sudden I've lost the golf tournament," Zalatoris said. If that doesnt sound like a household name to you, dont worry. Zalatoris entered Augusts BMW Championship in the advantageous No. 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. Zalatoris was voted PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for the 202021 season. As the news broke on the internet, fans jumped into the comments section of his post to congratulate the newlywed star. I love you., On Tuesday, also via Instagram, Zalatoris posted a photo of the happy couple with the caption, Cant wait to spend the rest of my life with my best friend. 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. A month before his Masters breakthrough in 2021, Zalatoris was surprised by Romo with a congratulatory message for qualifying for The PLAYERS Championship. Will Zalatoris spent his weekend on the greens, but not the one he's used to. 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. But. 3. Start the Golf Season off right with InsideGOLF ($100 value - just $20). Tyler Lauletta. "This course is where every shot you hit you're on the edge of your seat," Straka said. It figures Zalatoris struggled to reflect on his numerous close calls over the past three seasons. 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.. For the first time in 138 days, Will Zalatoris will play a PGA Tour event this week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Despite his big win, Zalatoris still has not received his PGA . The Wake Forest alum has been a premier ball-striker for four consecutive seasons in TOUR-sanctioned competition, and he admits its not natural inclination to want to change anything. The Korn Ferry trademark is also a registered trademark, and is used in the Korn Ferry Tour logo with permission. [13], In January 2022, Zalatoris tied for the lead of the Farmers Insurance Open after 72 holes. Shortly after his second-place finish at Augusta, Zalatoris proposed to his long-time girlfriend Caitlin Sellers. Will Zalatoris is married to Caitlyn Sellers. It was actually nice because I was able to bring the ball flight down, which, I mean, I know living in Texas youre used to hitting the ball low, but its doing it by itself as opposed to having to manipulate it. But as Nelson week grew closer, those feelings the teenager were experiencing werent butterflies they were pains from an inflamed appendix. At seventh in the Presidents Cup points standings, he likely would have been among the six captain's choices for the team. Musician Gryffin congratulated the golfer in the comments section. Will Zalatoris has withdrawn from the 2022 BMW Championship in the third round after suffering a back injury, the PGA Tour announced on Saturday. 7 World Ranking. The Korn Ferry trademark is also a registered trademark, and is used in the Korn Ferry Tour logo with permission. Will Zalatoris and Caitlin Sellers are considered among the most beautiful couples in the sports world. Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images. 8 in the standings and is assured his first trip to the Tour Championship at East Lake. 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. Zalatoris holed a dramatic 18th-hole birdie to tie the match against Na and he won the match four holes later with a birdie at the par-4 13th hole. The Tour Championship field at East Lake will fall to 29 and the starting strokes for other players in the field will not be affected. During Zalatoris rehab process, his routine might have looked like have a few putts and then maybe need to go grab a few beers with my boys. But hes an unabashed golf addict who will eagerly play four or five events in a row. But during the third round at Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware, Zalatoris suffered a back injury on the third hole. Zalatoris' first professional victory came in July 2020, when he narrowly won the TPC Colorado Championship by one stroke. He birdied the first hole, made only one other birdie, shot 70 and tied for 13th. Spieths first tee shot flared right, but he scrambled to save par. The two played golf nearly every day during the pandemic at Bent Tree or Carrolltons Maridoe Golf Club, formerly Columbian Country Club. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com. There's a legitimate possibility it could happen again on Sunday as Will Zalatoris hovers near the top of the leaderboard. "It's hard to say, 'About time,' when it's your second year on tour, but it's about time," Zalatoris said. He ranked top-three in both Total Driving and Greens in Regulation on the 2019 and 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour, as well. Zalatoris, 26, was injured on the third hole of the third round of the BMW Championship on Saturday at Wilmington Country Club in Delaware. Will Zalatoris watches his putt on the 9th. This is the best of the best, Zalatoris said Tuesday ahead of the tournament. They checked with Smith, who confirmed it was touching the line. Follow Kevin Prise on Twitter. WD = withdrew At the time, Zalatoris was leading the FedEx Cup after capturing his first PGA Tour win a week earlier in Memphis. Junior Amateur title in 2014. Pro V1x Titleist Golf Ball. Zalatoris is among a notable list of first-time TOUR winners who have committed to the Sentry Tournament of. 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. The Players Championship will be contested next week without its biggest draw. 21st 310.9 Driving Distance. When tournaments started up, I was ready to go. He finished the season ranked #1 in SG: Approach and #1 SG: Tee-to-Green. NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic. One wrote: There was a slew of hundreds of comments from Will Zalatoris's family, friends, and fans congratulating him on the start of the new chapter of his life. Ive learned a lot about my body, probably more than I think I ever wanted to, Zalatoris said Tuesday afternoon in Hawaii. Straka followed with a shot that also hit the bank, took one bounce off the rocks and went into the water. $14,217,888 Career Earnings. Aiming for his first PGA Tour win, Zalatoris might make the 2022 PGA Championship his first title. Like Spieth and Scheffler, Zalatoris received the opportunity to play in the AT&T Byron Nelson as a teenager through a sponsors exemption. 1 spot in the FedEx Cup standings after capturing his first PGA Tour win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. The fix: adjusting his setup, with the goal of reducing the strain on his back. The first event of 2023 also could be Will Zalatoris' first start since August. 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. Be the first one to comment on this story. Copyright 2023 PGA TOUR, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Wills strong play continued and he finished in 2nd place at the 2021 Masters Tournament, one stroke behind the champion. Already a force in the majors, Zalatoris got that first win out of the way with clutch putts and smart decisions to beat Sepp Straka and capture the first FedEx Cup playoff event. Zalatoris Masters breakthrough wasnt even the highlight of his month back in April of 2021. I realized I dont need to be on the range for hours; I need to play. Zalatoris told Golf Digest I was lucky. He also has three runner-up finishes in major championships . During the 2021-2022 PGA Tour season, Will continued to rise in the world of golf. "Add the nerves of competing for a tournament to that, especially for a playoff event, and yeah, it can get a little crazy.". 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. Will Zalatoris has been struggling with a back injury since August. Sitting in a hospital bed on the Monday morning of the tournament, Zalatoris had to make one of the toughest phone calls of his life when he dialed up tournament director Jon Drago and withdrew from the tournament. Will had an outstanding collegiate and amateur career, which included representing the United States on the 2017 Walker Cup team at Los Angeles Country Club and winning 4 collegiate titles. Will Zalatoris walks back to the crowd with his arm around his fianc after winning his first PGA tournament during the last day of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tenn., Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022. 1, a loaded LPGA field and more to watch in golf this week, Here's everything you missed this week in professional golf, Jin Young Ko up by 2 in Singapore title defense, Quigley fires 65 for early lead in PGA Champions, Kitayama handles windy Bay Hill as Rahm falters, Tiger not part of field for next week's Players, Young stretches lead to 4 in Puerto Rico Open, Rahm stays hot, finishes strong for Bay Hill lead, Rookie Young captures Puerto Rico lead with 63. 27 in the Official World Golf Rankings. Zalatoris won on the third playoff hole. https://t.co/R1e8awZIvh. He was born and raised in San Francisco, playing at Cal Club, where he hung with a much older crowd and pounded . Straka won his first PGA TOUR title earlier in the year at The Honda Classic. He had to sit out the Presidents Cup but did appear on-site to cheer on the U.S. 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. Will Zalatoris was born August 16, 1996, to his parents, Richard Zalatoris and Catherine Zalatoris. This week is a limited-field tournanment with only last years winners and Tour Championship qualifiers. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Find classes that best matches your needs. Will Zalatoris is looking to keep the Southern Hills major streak alive. Spieth then birdied six of the next eight holes for a 29 on his way to a course-record 63. 1, a loaded LPGA field and more to watch in golf this week, Here's everything you missed this week in professional golf, Jin Young Ko up by 2 in Singapore title defense, Quigley fires 65 for early lead in PGA Champions, Kitayama handles windy Bay Hill as Rahm falters, Tiger not part of field for next week's Players, Young stretches lead to 4 in Puerto Rico Open, Rahm stays hot, finishes strong for Bay Hill lead, Rookie Young captures Puerto Rico lead with 63. TULSA, Okla. Will Zalatoris is looking to keep the Southern Hills major streak alive. 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. Claims victory in first FedExCup Playoffs event before advancing to BMW Championship, Will Zalatoris new driver before Genesis Scottish Open, For all other business inquiries please contact Allen Hobbs: ahobbs@playersgroupmanagement.com, Our Address: Players Group Management Fan Mail - Will Zalatoris1800 Alexander Bell DriveSuite 200 Reston, VA 20191. Zalatoris came close to sending the U.S. Open to a playoff on Sunday, only to finish disappointed once again. Kim is the first player since Tiger Woods to win twice on TOUR before turning 21. Each morning, he ate a full breakfast at 6 a.m. and then waited until late in the evening to have a robust dinner. He finished tied with Scottie Scheffler at the U.S. Open behind Matt Fitzpatrick at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. 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. So thats why my speed is the same actually with the shorter driver. "Playing the cutline is one of the toughest things in golf. 1 spot in the FedEx Cup standings after capturing his first PGA Tour win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. In 2009, @dallasnews ran an advance for the 2009 U.S. Friday night, The Caddie Networks John Rathouz caught up with the caddie for Zalatoris, Ryan Goble, who was enjoying some veg time after a dinner of Mexican food in Tulsa. 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! Now, hes back, and at another big-time event. He has displayed a good feel for the golf course (particularly the greens) and opened with rounds of 70-68. Suddenly the close-call narrative was put to bed he memorably exclaimed, What are they gonna say now! upon draining a par putt on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Sepp Straka at TPC Southwind. 3. 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. PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, and the Swinging Golfer design are registered trademarks. He has suffered two herniated discs and has been away from the game. Zalatoris. Spieth was three grades ahead of them growing up, but the three found themselves clashing on the junior circuit quite often. He has competed primarily on the PGA Tour, where he has won once, at the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship . Zalatoris, 26, hasnt teed it up since withdrawing during the third round of the BMW Championship in August with what turned out to be two herniated discs in his back. 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. Junior Amateur champion announced his engagement to girlfriend Caitlin Sellers, also a Demon Deacon, with a series of pictures on Instagram back in April of 2021. Im always available for you, Mr. Gilmore., If youre ever in need of a caddie again let me know. Will was voted the 2020-2021 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year by his peers. [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. PGA TOUR players on Scottie Schefflers breakout season. He is fully focused on getting healthy and back onto the course as soon as he is able.". Representing Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, a suburb of Dallas, Texas, Zalatoris won the U.S. Will Zalatoris WDs from British Open after feeling 'tingling' in his leg during first round. 1 player strokes gained tee to green this past year, or at least approach, to want to go in and say, hey, you need to make some changes. Will Zalatoris found the end of Netflix.. 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. As Dr. Rose said, duh, no wonder I had a back issue, Zalatoris quipped. The event was the first of three events in the 2022 FedEx Cup Playoffs, With his win, Zalatoris moved to first in the FedEx Cup standings ahead of Scottie Scheffler.[17]. 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. CUT = missed the half-way cut ), PGA Tour makes big changes to 2024 designated events, including smaller fields and no cuts, 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational tee times: Round 1 groupings for Thursday. Its hard when youre the No. Zalatoris led the TOUR last season in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green, after ranking No. But in the name of avoiding future injury, hes working through the proverbial process. But he took up his teammates offer to come out and hang with the team for a . TSR3 Titleist Driver. At seventh in the Presidents Cup points standings, he likely would have been among the six . Id go to the course, carrying my bag, playing with my buddies, just trying to beat the crap out of each other. Prior to moving to Dallas, he worked at the Detroit Free Press. William Patrick Zalatoris (born August 16, 1996) is an American professional golfer. PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, and the Swinging Golfer design are registered trademarks. Nevertheless, his first win would not be an easy one. "We're talking inches," he says. [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. [5] He left school after his junior year to turn professional. Zalatoris was born in San Francisco, California, but his family moved to the Dallas, Texas, area . I basically am trying to get more, be a little bit more centered as opposed to having kind of ball forward with more spine tilt at address, he said. 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. Luckily for Zalatoris, Nelson organizers honored the exemption the following year and he made the start as a 19 year old. 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. Spoiler alert: It's yet to be announced, but the course is almost certain to be added as the 2041 Ryder Cup site. So just keep doing what were doing and let the next win get in the way.. He entered Sunday in a logjam for second at 7 under, four shots back of Matsuyama. 1. The former U.S. Open champion came into the FedEx Cup playoffs at No. The two met at Wake Forest, where Zalatoris played college golf for three seasons before turning pro in 2018. So it was actually kind of a nice fix.. 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. Wake Forest University College. It was quite the scene at Wilmington (Del.) Will Zalatoris is a rising star on the PGA Tour who has three top-10 finishes in the . Watching some of my friends play, going to the Presidents Cup, kind of keeping my mind active and spending some time with the guys back home, even just riding around in a cart when they were playing, Zalatoris described his downtime, keep my mind active, even though my body wouldnt let me. pic.twitter.com/qtEj1JyZdL. Representing TCA-Addison in 2014, Zalatoris won the U.S. Will Zalatoris has dealt with his share of anguish in an otherwise impressive PGA Tour season. When my right hip gets high and the spine tilts back, youre all of a sudden creating all that stress on your back. Amateur nearly a decade earlier. Then once I came back, it was pretty easy to keep the competitive juices flowing.. Amateur Championship titled "Junior talent flourishing on national scale. However, the Sentry Tournament of Champions recently announced that Zalatoris is expected in the field for the event in early January. It made us all really sharp. 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational: How to watch, TV schedule, streaming, tee times, Meet the new GOLF Top 100 Teachers of America, 7 interesting gear finds inside Tommy Fleetwoods golf bag | Bag Spy, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Zalatoris who grew up in San Francisco, got his start in golf as a youth at the California Golf Club, went to college at Wake Forest and now makes his home in Texas combines the perfect . Is Dallas becoming unaffordable due to rising housing costs, inflation and stagnating pay? He lost to Justin Thomas in a playoff in the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ive learned a lot about my body, probably more than I think I ever wanted to. Zalatoris will collect $500,000 for 30th, or last place . He became the first player to be voted Rookie of the Year without having a card in 20 years (Charles Howell III did so in 2001). A bad back is keeping the 26-year-old from competing in the Presidents Cup after qualifying for a spot at Quail Hollow. Will picked up his first professional victory in 2020 at the TPC Colorado Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour. Straka went to the drop zone, and his wedge went into the back bunker. 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. He tried to play through the injury but withdrew on the next hole. Zalatoris was born in 1996 on the 16th of August. Im always available for you, Mr. Gilmore. Im trying to get more centered over it and work more around my right side, so more a turn as opposed to a lateral shift. He spent much of his teenage golfing years playing junior tournaments in Texas alongside his friend Jordan Spieth. Will Zalatoris. Yes, as a 14-year-old kid. Ill be better this time. 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. 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. He even married his longtime sweetheart, Caitlin. Zalatoris breakthrough at Augusta was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to strong showings at major championships.