8:12 AM on May 21, 2022 CDT Updated at 11:37 PM on Aug 14, 2022 CDT. He previously worked for the DMN sports department from 2010-2022, where he served as SportsDay's lead digital strategist and oversaw coverage of college sports, HS sports, Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars, soccer and golf. After a short visit and numerous stretches, Zalatoris decided to withdraw from the event. https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2022/12/14/will-zalatoris-gets-married-caitlin-sellers-tournament-of-champions/, Mexico, Caribbean, Atlantic islands, Central America, Top 50 Classic Courses in Great Britain & Ireland, Top 50 Modern Courses in Great Britain & Ireland, announced his engagement to girlfriend Caitlin Sellers, Zalatoris suffered a back injury on the third hole, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Stars are everywhere on the leaderboard heading into the weekend at Bay Hill. 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. 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. pic.twitter.com/qtEj1JyZdL. 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. Zalatoris zoomed up the leaderboard Friday with a second-round 65 to take the solo lead at 9 under. It made us all really sharp. Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images. Will Zalatoris - Wikipedia That top finish, along with a number of others, secured him Special Temporary Member status on the PGA Tour which allowed him to accept unlimited sponsor exemptions for the 2020-2021 season. He even married his longtime sweetheart, Caitlin. I have watched this 100 times and still cant explain it. Zalatoris notches first PGA Tour victory in playoff, A battle for No. Will Zalatoris scheduled to return at Sentry - pgatour.com Will Zalatoris on LIV Golf, Tiger Woods struggles after college, more Will Zalatoris makes most of three-hole playoff to win FedEx St. Jude He finished tied with Scottie Scheffler at the U.S. Open behind Matt Fitzpatrick at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. PGA: Mexican food, 'veg time' for Will Zalatoris, caddie - Golfweek Our crew of Davis Riley, Kevin Dougherty and Tony Romo played money games five days a week for four months. 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. 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. "It's hard to say, 'About time,' when it's your second year on tour, but it's about time," Zalatoris said. 1. Zalatoris ultimately fell one shot short of Matsuyama and finished in solo second place, good for a payday of $1,242,000. 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. Will Zalatoris is looking to keep the Southern Hills major streak alive. Sharing the good news, the Texas native posted a slew of glamorous pictures with a caption that said: Earlier this week, he again took to his social media account to share a happy moment from his wedding. The comparisons got so mainstream that even Adam Sandler, star of Happy Gilmore, tweeted Zalatoris during the 2021 Masters and joined the fray. [15], In June 2022, Zalatoris had another second place in a major championship. [9] The win moved him to the leader on the Korn Ferry Tour points list and qualified him for the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. [7] With no status in 2019, Zalatoris relied on Monday qualifying and sponsor exemptions to play in Korn Ferry Tour events. Ive learned a lot about my body, probably more than I think I ever wanted to, Zalatoris said Tuesday afternoon in Hawaii. William Patrick Zalatoris (born August 16, 1996) is an American professional golfer. And I do it later than a lot of guys, so what that does for someone with a lot of side bend is that gets my right hip high and on my spines tilted back, and so as Dr. Rose said, duh, no wonder I had a back issue.. Presidents Cup 2022: 'It's bittersweet'Injured Will Zalatoris takes up 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. PGA TOUR players on Scottie Schefflers breakout season. Will Zalatoris has been struggling with a back injury since August. Will Zalatoris watches his putt on the 9th. 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. Will and Caitlin stood on stairs decorated with green leaves and flowers, making an arc above their heads on an olive-colored wall. I love you., A post shared by Will Zalatoris (@willzalatoris). 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. Despite his big win, Zalatoris still has not received his PGA . The Korn Ferry trademark is also a registered trademark, and is used in the Korn Ferry Tour logo with permission. But the speeds the same, everything feels really good.. Caitlin and Will got married in an intimate ceremony earlier this week. At the time, Zalatoris was leading the FedEx Cup after capturing his first PGA Tour win a week earlier in Memphis. 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. 1 spot in the FedEx Cup standings after capturing his first PGA Tour win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. As Dr. Rose said, duh, no wonder I had a back issue, Zalatoris quipped. Zalatoris had four runners-up including three in major championships before winning in Memphis. Maintaining a high spot on the OWGR allows golfers who have never won a major to earn exemptions into future majors. Will Zalatoris. The two met at Wake Forest, where Zalatoris played college golf for three seasons before turning pro in 2018. 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. After sustaining a back injury in the first round of the 149th British Open, Will Zalatoris has withdrawn from his debut at the championship. Thats the most recent tournament he completed before injury struck, and its a feeling hes keen to recapture. Who Is Will Zalatoris' Wife? | Golf Monthly $14,217,888 Career Earnings. He had to sit out the Presidents Cup but did appear on-site to cheer on the U.S. 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. A huge break for Zalatoris? Will Zalatoris is set to make his first TOUR start since the BMW Championship last August. He then withdrew from the following weeks TOUR Championship, finishing a disappointing 30th in the FedExCup after entering the week at No. TULSA, Okla. Will Zalatoris is looking to keep the Southern Hills major streak alive. Zalatoris qualified for the upcoming Sentry Tournament of Champions by winning his first PGA TOUR title at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The fix: adjusting his setup, with the goal of reducing the strain on his back. Musician Gryffin congratulated the golfer in the comments section. NT = No tournament Like Spieth and Scheffler, Zalatoris received the opportunity to play in the AT&T Byron Nelson as a teenager through a sponsors exemption. Was all but a lock to make roster as a captains pick, begging the question of who will replace him, How Will Zalatoris turned his putter into a strength. 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. So it was actually kind of a nice fix.. Mr. Gilmore is watching you and very proud., Zalatoris handled it with good humor, responding to Sandler by saying If youre ever in need of a caddie again let me know. "This course is where every shot you hit you're on the edge of your seat," Straka said. 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. 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. He actually learned the way he generated power could have led to the back issues in the first place. Fitzpatrick made his first PGA TOUR win a major, claiming the U.S. Open at the same venue where he won the U.S. 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. Follow Kevin Prise on Twitter. He got married in December but also spent much of the time rehabbing. He came close to winning three times in 2022, including two major championships, before finally breaking out for his first victory. Will and Caitlin have been dating each other since they met in 2018 at Wake Forest College. 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]. We believe she is now a marketing analyst in Texas. 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. Willy Z is FINALLY a winner on the PGA Tour pic.twitter.com/p02shNTaK2. Whether you win or lose, its just what you practice for.. Zalatoris was born in San Francisco, California. 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. Zalatoris told Golf Digest I was lucky. 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. 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. There's a legitimate possibility it could happen again on Sunday as Will Zalatoris hovers near the top of the leaderboard. 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. Newlywed Will Zalatoris returns from back injury at Sentry But those battles started long before they were competing for millions on golfs grandest stage. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. This is the best of the best, Zalatoris said Tuesday ahead of the tournament. He has competed primarily on the PGA Tour, where he has won once, at the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship . Will Zalatoris found the end of Netflix.. 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. PGA Tour: Will Zalatoris gets married, expected to return in Hawaii How much "louder" will LIV Golf get in its second season? Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. Will Zalatoris' winning highlights from FedEx St. Jude | 2022 The first event of 2023 also could be Will Zalatoris' first start since August. Zalatoris. The train of the wedding dress was spread over the stairs while she was holding white flowers in her hand. Zalatoris (back) pulls out of Tour Championship, A battle for No. Theres not much time to shake the rust; Zalatoris is quickly back to the throes of elite competition. Zalatoris won't be replaced in the 30-man field at East Lake and will receive a $500,000 bonus. He teed off at 2:50 p.m. He teed off at 2:50 p.m. At seventh in the Presidents Cup points standings, he likely would have been among the six . But his speed has remained the same as it was from last year when he finished 13th in driving distance on Tour at 314.7 yards a pop. He had attended every Nelson since he was 9 years old. In Texas, we couldnt practice, but we could play. But as Nelson week grew closer, those feelings the teenager were experiencing werent butterflies they were pains from an inflamed appendix. Straka followed with a shot that also hit the bank, took one bounce off the rocks and went into the water. 2. 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. 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. They are unarguably made for each other. 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. 7 the season prior. Something went wrong while submitting the form. ET in the final group with Mito Pereira. "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. Its also the first of the PGA Tours new elevated events, with a $15 million purse. Zalatoris took that attitude all the way to the final group on Saturday. 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. Aiming for his first PGA Tour win, Zalatoris might make the 2022 PGA Championship his first title. The bride completed her look with elegant makeup and open hair flowing down her shoulders. 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. Which is kind of a good thing and a bad thing, because when I was hitting the ball the way that I was, its hard to want to change anything, but at the same time I actually saw some benefits. College career [ edit] Zalatoris was born in San Francisco, California. The Plano alum walked down the aisle with his long-term girlfriend, Caitlin Sellers, who has been his best friend since his college days. PGA Tour: Will Zalatoris made LIV Golf look like dumbest thing ever He even had his favorite spot right off the 18th hole where hed strategically place himself to get autographs from his favorite players. Zalatoris has said he gets comparisons to Owen Wilson quite a bit, but the one that gained the most steam during the 2021 Masters was a comparison to Jared van Snellenberg. Spoiler alert: It's yet to be announced, but the course is almost certain to be added as the 2041 Ryder Cup site. And that would keep alive a crazy stat: of the seven major championships played at Southern Hills, all were won by a player who led or co-led the tournament through 36 holes. Nevertheless, his first win would not be an easy one. Will Zalatoris - GOLF News, Rumors, & Updates | FOX Sports The shutdown simplified things.. Zalatoris was born in 1996 on the 16th of August. "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. At the end of the 2021 season, Zalatoris was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year an accomplishment nobody would have expected at the start of the year, given the fact that Zalatoris didnt even had a PGA Tour card. Zalatoris shot 1-under 69 on Thursday, but on the 15th hole he drove into the thick rough. "Playing the cutline is one of the toughest things in golf. Ill be better this time. 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. 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 did not participate in last weeks event, however. 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. Oops! 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. Impact Zalatoris played in his first tournament since tweaking his back at the BMW Championship in August. Copyright 2023 PGA TOUR, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Yes, as a 14-year-old kid. So Im trying to get more centered over it and work more around my right side, so more of a turn as opposed to kind of a lateral shift, because like I said, when my right hip gets high and the spine tilts back, youre now all of a sudden creating all that stress on your back. Junior Amateur title in 2014. Be a little more centered, as opposed to having ball forward with more spine tilt at address, Zalatoris said. Will Zalatoris was born August 16, 1996, to his parents, Richard Zalatoris and Catherine Zalatoris. An MRI revealed that Zalatoris, 26, had two herniated disks. The former U.S. Open champion came into the FedEx Cup playoffs at No. It was nice because I was able to bring the ball flight down; living in Texas, youre used to hitting the ball low, but its doing it by itself as opposed to having to manipulate it. The grip trick and 20-minute practice routine Will Zalatoris - PGATour Let us take your workout routines to the next level with our 365 day challenge and programs schedule. 1 spot in the FedEx Cup standings after capturing his first PGA Tour win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. 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. Now having finally collected a Tour win, Zalatoris will enter the top 10 in the world for the first time, further solidifying him as one of golfs rising stars.