2022 U.S. Open: Will Zalatoris Battles Back After Slow Start

Zalatoris birdied three of his final six holes on Thursday to post a 1-under 69 after a slow start at the U.S. Open.

Will Zalatoris did not get off to a great start at the U.S. Open with bogeys at two of the first four holes on Thursday morning.

The 25-year-old leaned on some clutch putting down the stretch to put himself in a good position heading into Friday, highlighted by a 28-foot birdie putt on the par-5 14th hole. This was his first under-par round in his career at the U.S. Open.

Zalatoris spoke to media following his round, he mentioned the level of comfort he now feels at the major championships. “Yeah, it’s kind of nice now after playing this many majors,” Zalatoris said. “There’s kind of a new level of comfort.”

The former Wake Forest golfer has struggled on the greens for the majority of his young career, however, he was able to flip the script on Thursday as he leaned on his flat stick to get back to red figures following the tough start.

"“Yeah, I made a bunch of putts coming in,” Zalatoris said. “Basically the last seven, eight holes I feel like I didn’t miss anything. Kind of bottle that up and keep it going for the next three rounds.”"

In his short time on the PGA Tour, he has become known for his elite level ball-striking and solid iron play.

The one question mark on his game that has kept him from grabbing that elusive first victory is his putting. Should this impressive putting performance carry over into the second round there’s a good chance Zalatoris will be in contention come Sunday.

Zalatoris’ short-game coach, Josh Gregory, spoke about Will’s putting in an interview earlier this week. He made an eye-opening statement regarding the potential Zalatoris has if the putting improves.

"“When he gets to strokes gained level with his putting, he can be the best player in the world,” Gregory said."

With the way Zalatoris strikes it and his track record at major championships, it’s hard to argue with that statement. Can he put it all together this week and win for the first time on the PGA Tour? It would be quite the story.