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Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship: Top 10 power rankings

By Mike Randleman

PUNTA CANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - MARCH 31: A general view of the eighth green during the final round of the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship on March 31, 2019 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
PUNTA CANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - MARCH 31: A general view of the eighth green during the final round of the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship on March 31, 2019 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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MAMARONECK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 20: Will Zalatoris of the United States plays his shot from the second tee during the final round of the 120th U.S. Open Championship on September 20, 2020 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
MAMARONECK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 20: Will Zalatoris of the United States plays his shot from the second tee during the final round of the 120th U.S. Open Championship on September 20, 2020 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Hardcore golf fans have been clamoring for Will Zalatoris to get some cracks on the PGA Tour for weeks, if not months. He’s finally getting the chance.

The Korn Ferry Tour stalwart played well last week at the U.S. Open. The former Wake Forest Demon Deacon made one ace and nearly had a second on Thursday en route to finishing T-6th (70-74-70-71).

The 24-year-old Californian didn’t fake it around Winged Foot, either. Zalatoris led the field in strokes gained approach (1.99) and was 17th in SG off the tee (.633). He was due to be in this week’s field via sponsor exemption, but this gets him in via the top-10 exemption and gets him a spot at the 2021 U.S. Open in his home state at Torrey Pines.

Zalatoris is now inside the world top 100 and could pull closer to the coveted top 50 with a good week in the Dominican Republic. It doesn’t do anything for his career and earning PGA Tour/major starts, but Zalatoris is all the way up to No. 10 in the Sagarin rankings, which reward recent play and head-to-head victories more.

He would be on the PGA Tour now if not for the COVID-19 pandemic. He only won once at the TPC Colorado Championship, but has been a top-10 machine, collecting 10 in 16 starts in 2020.

That includes a T-2nd in his last KFT start in September at the Evans Scholars Invitational.

Zalatoris has a good overall game. His ball striking is his bread and butter as he leads the KFT in greens in regulation at a whopping 81.13%. Zalatoris is no bunter, either. He pipes it 314.2 off the tee, which is somehow only 30th on the KFT, and hits over two-thirds of his fairways (67.32%).

This is his first appearance at the Corales Puntacana Club & Resort Championship.

The Will Zalatoris bandwagon is filling up, but it’s not too late to jump on.

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