Will Zalatoris undergoes back surgery, done for season after withdrawing from the Masters
Will Zalatoris missed several months last season with a lingering back injury, and pulled out of Augusta National before his first round tee time last week
Will Zalatoris is suddenly done for the season.
Zalatoris announced Monday on Instagram that he had undergone back surgery this past weekend following his withdrawal from the Masters.
“After careful consideration and seeking multiple medical opinions, I underwent a successful microdiscectomy on Saturday,” he wrote, in part. “As much as I hate not being able to play the rest of this season, I am happy that I am already seeing the benefits of the procedure.
“Playing and living in pain is not fun. I look forward to making a full recovery and seeing everyone in the fall.”
Zalatoris pulled out of the Masters before his first round tee time on Thursday afternoon due to a back injury. He reportedly felt stiffness in his back that morning despite feeling fine earlier in the week, and opted to play it safe.
Zalatoris missed several months last season with two herniated discs in his back, and had to withdraw from the BMW Championship last year due to the injury — which came the week after his first career win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Zalatoris withdrew from the WGC-Match Play last month with a stomach bug, too, and said he lost seven pounds in a week while battling that illness.
The 26-year-old has played seven times on the PGA Tour this season, and is currently ranked No. 8 in the Official World Golf Rankings. His best outing came at The Genesis Invitational, where he finished fourth. He was in the mix at all four major championships last season, going T6 at the Masters and losing in a playoff to Justin Thomas at the PGA Championship. He also finished tied for second at the U.S. Open and tied for 28th at the Open Championship.
