Glover closed with a 66 and wound up in a tie for third. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. 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. 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. Shortly after his second-place finish at Augusta, Zalatoris proposed to his long-time girlfriend Caitlin Sellers. Junior Amateur in 2014. 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. Zalatoris and Scheffler are separated by only a couple months in age, so the two played together quite frequently as juniors. Here are 10 things to know about Zalatoris: Most golf fans introduction to Zalatoris was during the 2021 Masters. The post included the caption, Best day of my life. Zalatoris, 26, hasn't teed it up since withdrawing during the third. Musician Gryffin congratulated the golfer in the comments section. Yes, as a 14-year-old kid. He was the 36-hole leader at the 2022 PGA Championship before ultimately falling short of his first major championship after losing to Justin Thomas in a three-hole playoff. Copyright 2023 PGA TOUR, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Follow Kevin Prise on Twitter. There's a legitimate possibility it could happen again on Sunday as Will Zalatoris hovers near the top of the leaderboard. The train of the wedding dress was spread over the stairs while she was holding white flowers in her hand. 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. Amateur nearly a decade earlier. 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. Smith was given a two-shot penalty when rules officials realized upon review that when he took a penalty drop in the third round, the ball was still touching the red hazard line. Will Zalatoris hilariously explained why Phil Mickelson could play Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore remake. The fix: adjusting his setup, with the goal of reducing the strain on his back. Will Zalatoris watches his putt on the 9th. He also set the individual scoring average of 70.44 at Wake Forest University. "Playing the cutline is one of the toughest things in golf. British Open champion Cameron Smith could have replaced Scheffler by winning and arrived at the TPC Southwind two shots out of the lead. He teed off at 2:50 p.m. Get the latest D-FW sports news, analysis, scores and more. 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. The shutdown simplified things.. 2. 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. Will Zalatoris after his missed putt on the . Back in 2015, he finished T4 at the Pacific Coast Amateur shortly after returning from an emergency appendectomy. Zalatoris didnt end up winning the hardware that year, but he did hoist the trophy a few years later. The two met at Wake Forest, where Zalatoris played college golf for three seasons before turning pro in 2018. 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. 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. Representing Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, a suburb of Dallas, Texas, Zalatoris won the U.S. The former Trinity Christian Academy-Addison star is one of the top American golfers less than two years removed from grinding on the Korn Ferry Tour. He teed off at 2:50 p.m. Having finished runner-up in three majors in his career, it seemed to be only a matter of time before Zalatoris finally collected a title. At seventh in the Presidents Cup points standings, he likely would have been among the six . Will Zalatoris has withdrawn from the TOUR Championship with two herniated discs in his back. The former U.S. Open champion came into the FedEx Cup playoffs at 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. Representing TCA-Addison in 2014, Zalatoris won the U.S. 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. Scott Bell, Breaking News Editor. Will Zalatoris is looking to keep the Southern Hills major streak alive. 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]. Zalatoris ultimately fell one shot short of Matsuyama and finished in solo second place, good for a payday of $1,242,000. He came shot consistently all weekend, shooting a 69 in each round Thursday- Saturday. 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). 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. Zalatoris is no longer the best on the PGA Tour without a victory. Sandler tweeted Have fun today young man. 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.. Besides him, Will Zalatoris' fans showered their blessings on the couple. I did a pretty deep dive with Damon, my trainer, with Dr. [Greg] Rose, Dr. Duffy, he said of his team. NT = No tournament Will and Caitlin have been dating each other since they met in 2018 at Wake Forest College. Zalatoris, 26, was injured on the third hole of the third round of the BMW Championship on Saturday at Wilmington Country Club in Delaware. And then Smith was four shots back without hitting a shot. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Will attended Wake Forest University where he received the Arnold Palmer Scholarship. "We're talking inches," he says. CUT = missed the half-way cut Top 100 Courses in the U.S.: GOLFs all-new 2022-23 ranking is here! 27 in the Official World Golf Rankings, earned a spot in the tournament through local qualifying, had to withdraw in his British Open debut because of an injury he suffered late in his first round, proposed to his long-time girlfriend Caitlin Sellers, fellow 25-year-old DFW golf star Scottie Scheffler, getting initial golf instruction from former U.S. Open champion Ken Venturi as a 6 year old in San Francisco, they were pains from an inflamed appendix, he earned a spot in the field of the 2015 Northern Trust by winning a collegiate showcase, the title he has reserved for former Cowboys QB Tony Romo, 10 things to know about Scottie Scheffler: 25-year-old Masters champ has taken golf world by storm, 10 things you may not know about Jordan Spieth, including how he battled a shark, getting asked out by Miss Texas in a freestyle rap, Find more golf coverage from The Dallas Morning News here, The Cowboys are closer than you think to a total makeover at running back, Why Rangers cautious approach with pitchers in spring training could still be risky, Jerry Jones talks Dak Prescotts Tom Brady-esque qualities and more from the NFL combine, Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving duos on-the-fly rapport gets test from Kevin Durant, Suns, A week after torching the Stars, Max Domi joins Dallas in its march toward the playoffs, DeSotos chase for third straight title continues after rout of Pearland in 6A semifinals, UIL boys basketball playoffs (6A): Tre Johnson, Lake Highlands shine; DeSoto defense rises, 2023 UIL girls state basketball: Schedule, previews and more for Dallas-area teams, 2023 UIL girls basketball state tournament pairings: See schedule for semifinal matchups, 2023 UIL boys basketball regional tournament pairings: See schedule for Dallas-area teams, 3 children killed, 2 wounded at Ellis County home; suspect in custody, How a Texas districts reaction to school shooting fears highlights discipline concerns. Zalatoris told Golf Digest I was lucky. He has displayed a good feel for the golf course (particularly the greens) and opened with rounds of 70-68. Straka won his first PGA TOUR title earlier in the year at The Honda Classic. 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. Zalatoris doesn't enter the final round with any cushion because the same club that's troubled him in the early stages of his career can still be a nuisance. 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. He can be reached at
[email protected]. Zalatoris entered August's BMW Championship in the advantageous No. PGA:How to watch|ESPN+ streaming|Leaderboard|Saturday tee times. 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. 70 by three points. Junior Amateur title in 2014. 1 spot in the FedEx Cup standings after capturing his first PGA Tour win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. Straka, who played bogey-free over the final 13 holes in regulation, moves to No. A Golf Channel article said Zalatoris was seeking to return at the Hero World Challenge. Ill be better this time. Born in San Francisco, California, Will Zalatoris was introduced to the game early on playing with his parents at California Golf Club. Oops! Zalatoris qualified for the upcoming Sentry Tournament of Champions by winning his first PGA TOUR title at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Amateur, when Zalatoris qualified as a 12 year old and competed as a 13 year old, alongside Scheffler and Spieth. Wills strong play continued and he finished in 2nd place at the 2021 Masters Tournament, one stroke behind the champion. The two have been together for more than four years now after meeting at Wake Forest college in late 2018. Then once I came back, it was pretty easy to keep the competitive juices flowing.. I spent some time with Dr. Greg Rose at [the Titleist Performance Institute], he said. Will Zalatoris has dealt with his share of anguish in an otherwise impressive PGA Tour season. Ive learned a lot about my body, probably more than I think I ever wanted to, Zalatoris said Tuesday afternoon in Hawaii. 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. 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. "I am beyond disappointed," he . 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. Our crew of Davis Riley, Kevin Dougherty and Tony Romo played money games five days a week for four months. 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. Zalatoris was born in San Francisco, California, but his family moved to the Dallas, Texas, area . 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. 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. As Dr. Rose said, duh, no wonder I had a back issue, Zalatoris quipped. During the 2021-2022 PGA Tour season, Will continued to rise in the world of golf. It was quite the scene at Wilmington (Del.) The first event of 2023 also could be Will Zalatoris' first start since August. 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. PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, and the Swinging Golfer design are registered trademarks. ATLANTA -- Will Zalatoris, who picked up his first PGA Tour victory two weeks ago, has withdrawn from the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club because of two herniated disks in his back. The comparisons got so mainstream that even Adam Sandler, star of Happy Gilmore, tweeted Zalatoris during the 2021 Masters and joined the fray. Caitlin has changed her last name to Zalatoris on her Instagram account. Heading into the PGA Championship, Zalatoris had four top-10 finishes in his first seven career major championship appearances. 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. Scott is the Breaking News Editor for the Dallas Morning News. QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play I mean, weve looked at everything that I was doing to make sure I was doing the right things and we were checking all the boxes and it was just strictly a motor pattern thing, 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..