After a frustrating 2024 season that saw him snag zero wins and deal with some serious ups and downs, Will Zalatoris is back at it. He’s at The Sentry, kicking off his 2025 season with a fresh mindset and some important lessons learned. Although it hasn’t been an easy road, now, with a renewed sense of purpose, he’s already marking his territory!

Zalatoris opened with a solid 8-under 65 at Kapalua’s Plantation Course, sitting just one shot behind Tom Hoge, who posted an impressive 9-under 64. If you watched the game, you know exactly how good it felt to see Zalatoris back in action with full force. Indeed, it was more like a reflection of his strong performance back in 2022 during the FedEx St. Jude Championship where he took home the trophy for the first time.

2024 may not have gone as planned for Zalatoris, but that’s behind him now. Looking ahead to 2025, he’s packed on nearly 20 pounds of muscle, worked on his putting from 10 to 25 feet, and feels like he’s ready to get back in the mix as one of the top players. “I think the best way I could describe how I’m feeling compared to where I was before this weight gain was I thought I was at my 100 percent, and it still didn’t feel good,” Zalatoris shared. It wasn’t until he added muscle that he realized just how much more he could give. Last year, he played 22 events, making cuts in 15 but missing a few too many. Injuries and consistency issues kept him from putting together the kind of season he was hoping for, but that’s exactly why he’s here now—ready for a fresh start.

“I knew I needed to get stronger,” he shared. “It wasn’t so much about the speed. I know that the speed will come. I needed the stability to make sure that I was able to do what I’m doing. Down the road, if I feel like I’m able to maybe add a couple miles an hour here or there, great, but speed’s really not my concern right now, it’s all about longevity.” Looking back, he remembers his early days as being “super skinny and wiry,” relying mostly on adrenaline. But after years of battling injuries, it became clear that to sustain success, something had to change.

Zalatoris made the decision to bulk up, and it’s already paying off. “I was kind of laughing because going up No. 9 is our worst walk we have all year, and normally I’m huffing and puffing,” he shared. “I was like, Okay, I know it’s Thursday and we’ve been off awhile, but that’s the best I’ve felt.” For the first time in a long time, he’s feeling strong and healthy, with fewer injury setbacks. He hasn’t needed a cortisone shot since August, which is a milestone in itself.

However, this change wasn’t just about looking like a bodybuilder. It’s all about giving him the strength to stay consistent, no matter how long the season stretches on. As he puts it, “My best weeks were always the first of a stretch, and I always loved playing one, two, three weeks and building in a rhythm.”

At the end of the day, this isn’t just about hitting it farther or faster, rather it’s about finding the balance that keeps you performing at your best for the long run. If 2024 taught him anything, it’s that strength and stability are key to success. And with this new mindset, Zalatoris is more ready than ever to make 2025 his comeback year.

How was Zalatoris’s rest of the season?

After a challenging 2024 season, Will Zalatoris is looking to build on a fresh approach heading into 2025. He spent a large chunk of his offseason working with sports performance coach Damon Goddard, focusing on making his body more pliable. After his back surgery, Zalatoris knows he needs to build muscle to handle the grind of the PGA Tour.

But his real focus this offseason was his putting. Zalatoris started using a broomstick putter in late 2023, and it helped with his stroke inside 10 feet. But since he’s one of the best ball-strikers on Tour, he knew he needed to get better at mid-range putts too. He and coach Josh Gregory worked on a tough drill: 30 putts from various distances, aiming to make 9 out of 30. It’s all about improving consistency from 10 to 20 feet.

As for the 2025 season, Zalatoris is hopeful. He wants to stay in rhythm all year, unlike in 2024, when he struggled through a rough stretch. “I’m hoping this will carry me through the year,” he said. His approach to the offseason was different this time around—he took it easy and didn’t grind like most pros. “Normally guys will grind their tail off for around the holidays getting ready for the year, and my wife and I went on vacation, and then weather wasn’t great in Dallas, so the last round of golf I played prior to coming here was December 12th. So it’s kind of nice coming in rested, and when I’m coming out here and everything feels really good,” he said.

So far, his approach seems to be setting him up for success, making him a must-watch not just for this tournament, but for the entire season. How do you think the future will pan out for Zalatoris? Let us know in the comments below!