Will Zalatoris dealt worrying injury setback

Will Zalatoris has announced that he will be out of action for at least a few months after suffering yet another injury blow.

The 28-year-old missed the cut at the Masters and the PGA Championship before withdrawing from last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge.

Zalatoris shared an update with fans on Instagram, explaining that he had re-herniated two discs in his back and underwent surgery on Friday.

“Hey everyone, sharing a health update,” he posted. “This Spring, I started feeling some discomfort and instability in my back that progressively got worse.

“Following the PGA Championship, an MRI showed that I had re-herniated two discs. After discussing the options with my medical team, I underwent surgery this past Friday with Dr. Michael Duffy at the Texas Back Institute.

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“I’m happy to say that I woke up feeling good and excited about my long-term back health. Time to focus on my recovery and get back after it.

“Thank you to my team, friends, and family for being there for me throughout this journey. Looking forward to seeing everyone in the fall!”

Zalatoris, a one-time winner on the PGA Tour, has spent plenty of time on the sidelines already in his career.

He was leading the FedEx Cup and ranked inside the world’s top ten when he had to withdraw from the 2022 BMW Championship because of a herniated disk in his back.

Since then, he’s tried to recover from the pain and surgery which followed in April 2023.

Ahead of the 2025 season, in which Zalatoris started with a T26 at the Sentry and a T12 at the American Express, the American put on 20lbs of muscle.

It was hoped that would give him the stability to take strain off his spine.

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“I really wanted to make sure that I’m setting myself up for the next seven, eight years, because right now at 28 years old, this is ‘go time,’” he said.

Meanwhile, Zalatoris was also forced to withdraw from the Rocket Mortgage Classic in June last year with a hip injury.

“Having to get cortisone shots just to get by was a lot,” he said. “I didn’t really want to spend the rest of my career doing that.”

The latest procedure has ruled him out of the remaining two majors of the year and, effectively, the Ryder Cup. It will take place at Bethpage in September.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.