After three years of nagging back pain, Will Zalatoris finally feels like a man in his 20s again, which could be bad news for the rest of the PGA Tour as the 2026 season approaches.
It’s easy to forget the trajectory Zalatoris was on before back injuries began to plague his career. From 2020 to 2022, he was widely viewed as one of the PGA Tour’s brightest rising stars. During that stretch, he recorded six top-10 finishes in major championships and captured his first career victory at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August 2022. But just a week later, he suffered two herniated discs, an injury that abruptly ended what had been a breakout season.
Unfortunately, the San Francisco native hasn’t been the same player since, primarily because he hasn’t been able to stay on the course, making only 41 starts since his initial back injury.
With that said, Zalatoris opened the 2025 season on a promising note, finishing T12 at The American Express. But that would prove to be the high point of his year, as he failed to record another top-20 finish the rest of the season.
Then came the worst blow yet. After missing the cut at the 2025 PGA Championship, an MRI revealed that he had re-herniated two discs in his back, thus requiring more surgery that once again ended his season prematurely.
Will Zalatoris provides an update on his recovery
Zalatoris attended the Simmons Bank Championship on the Champions Tour this past weekend, where he provided an encouraging update on his recovery. “I’m already back playing. I’m grinding every day,” Zalatoris said. “It’s been a long grind, don’t get me wrong, but this is the most positive I’ve felt in three years.”
Zalatoris added that he’s been getting plenty of advice this week from some of the older and wiser players on the Champions Tour about how to better take care of his body. “There are a lot of guys out here with plenty of mileage on their bodies,” he said. “I’m definitely taking some notes this week.”
If Zalatoris is truly healthy, he could once again be a force to be reckoned with in 2026. He’s already proven he can compete with the best players in the world when at his best. Before then, he plans to test his game at the Nedbank Golf Challenge on the DP World Tour from December 4–7, giving fans an early glimpse of where his game stands.