PGA Tour Injury Update: Will Zalatoris Says He’s ‘Trending Every Week’ Amid Stellar Return From 8-Month Nightmare

Will Zalatoris spent 2023 recovering from his back injury. At one point, Zalatoris was playing many events in a row. However, now he has vowed to listen to his body more and prioritize his health more. Last season, the 27-year-old was diagnosed with two herniated discs. Following this, Zalatoris met the same fate as Tiger Woods, as he later withdrew from the 2023 Masters and made his comeback at the Hero World Challenge.

After officially starting his 2024 season, Zalatoris is improving a lot and, per the golfer himself, he is “trending every week.”

Will Zalatoris talks about getting used to his new routine

Among the many pros attempting to make a name for themselves on the PGA Tour after life-changing injuries, Will Zalatoris is one of the standouts. The play at the Genesis Invitational was the fourth start of his official return and he had made significant changes from when he first started at the Sony Open.

From the greens of Waialae to the Riviera, Zalatori’s performance looks like this: MC-T34-T13-T5 (after round one). Currently, he is only moving upward. According to him, it was the extra time that helped him focus more. At the post-round presser, Zalatoris said, “I could have come back in six months, but I took eight. It really gave me time to kind of really think about things.” 

Moreover, he expressed that he was not proud of finishing 20th at Albany GC. However, moving forward, he is “trending every week” and will be “learning something new every week” about his game and “just getting used” to the changes he has made to his game. Talking about his injured back, Zalatoris shared that he had found the issue that aggravated his injury.

The way he used to hit the shot before had put much pressure on his backbone. However, now he was “playing it forward” and “more horizontal as opposed to so vertical,” which triggered his herniated discs. Following his rehab and surgery, the Californian golfer finished T5 after round one, which is the best finish he has had since March 2023. While Zalatoris is making a recovery, the schedule for him does not look as steady as he would have wished.

Will Zalatoris’s 2024 schedule based on his surgery 

The niggling back pain started in 2022; however, Will Zalatoris ignored the outcry of his body and pushed through the pain. The injury eventually caught up with him and made him take a long hiatus from the greens. Though returning has been delightful for Zalatoris, it is still not back to normal as it was in 2022.

Read More: ‘Still Didn’t Feel a 100%’: As Will Zalatoris Breaks a 7 Month Hiatus, What Are the Major Three Takeaways From His Comeback?

The schedule for him may abruptly change as and when his body feels right. He has said, “I may randomly add in an event,” if he could play without injuring his back again. However, he had been warned to not play three events one after the other, which he has followed diligently in 2024. The next thing for Zalatoris is to play better at the Genesis Invitational and attempt to card a solo fourth as he did last year or better.

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