Will Zalatoris

28-Year-Old Golfer

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Out

Injury Back

Est. Return 9/11/2025

2025 Stats

Rank

127

Winnings

$1,001,003

Winnings/Entry

$91,000

Entries

Rounds

2025 Fantasy Outlook

After an injury-riddled last few years, Zalatoris was hoping for a bounce back campaign in 2024. Things got off to a great start with a T2 at the Genesis Invitational and a T4 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational before a T9 showing at the Masters. Unfortunately he would then go 11 straight starts without a finish better than T41. Zalatoris would close the season with a pair of top-15s in the first two playoff events, however. The 28-year-old ranked 108th in SG: Total last season, including 138th in SG: Around-the-Green and 132nd in SG: Putting. Those were two areas he's always struggled with, but the ball-striking was also nowhere close to where it was in his prime. Zalatoris has one of the biggest gaps between his ceiling and his floor in 2025 as any player on the PGA Tour. Hopefully he can stay healthy and get back to being a top-tier ball-striker. Read Past Outlooks

Handedness Right

Status Pro

Height 6'2"

Weight 174 lbs

DOB 8/16/1996

Birthplace San Francisco, California

College Wake Forest

Country USA

Undergoes back surgery again

Back

May 26, 2025

Zalatoris underwent back surgery last Friday after re-herniating two discs and is expected to be sidelined until the fall, PGATour.com reports.

ANALYSIS
It's another unfortunate back-related setback for Zalatoris, who also missed eight months of competition after a microdiscectomy in the spring of 2023. Zalatoris was so optimistic for this season saying he was feeling stronger than ever, but through the spring he started experiencing some discomfort and instability. Following a missed cut at the PGA Championship an MRI revealed two herniated discs. Zalatoris hd an incredible run in majors from 2020-2022 where he logged six top-8 finishes. It looked like it was just a matter of time before Zalatoris became a major winner and one of the top players in the game. Things just haven't been the same since his first back related issue the week after his first PGA Tour win in August of 2022. Hopefully he'll be able to play golf at some point this fall and get back to 100 percent for the 2026 season.

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

2024

2023

2022

2020

Zalatoris' season came to an abrupt end as he withdrew before The Masters and subsequently underwent back surgery to conclude his year. That leaves him with question marks heading into next year regarding potential swing changes and how long it will take him to return to form. Prior to his back injury, he was playing like a top-10 player in the world, winning the first playoff event in 2022 and finishing runner-up in two majors. When healthy, he's proven himself to be one of the best ball-strikers in the world. There may be some initial struggles, but don't be surprised to see Zalatoris return to his previous form by the spring.

It was both an incredible year, and a year of what if for Zalatoris. He collected 11 top-15 finishes, but also lost in a playoff at the Torrey Pines and the PGA Championship. He also was just beaten out by one at the U.S. Open by Matt Fitzpatrick. Zalatoris was able to silence the questions by notching his first win in the playoff opener, but tweaked his back the very next week where it was revealed he had two herniated disks and had to take a 30th place finish in the final FedExCup standings. Back injuries can be career killers for golfers, so there are certainly a lot of questions going into next season to see how he bounces back. Zalatoris is definitely one of the more risky golfers in the top-10 because of the injury concern, but he's currently the best ball-striker on Tour and has World No. 1 upside.

Zalatoris earned Special Temporary Membership on the PGA Tour rather quickly after winning the Korn Ferry Tour's TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes in July of 2020, though he remained ineligible for the FedExCup Playoffs without having also notched a victory at the PGA level. In addition to eight top-10s and 14 total top-25s through 25 starts on the PGA Tour in 2020-21, Zalatoris' exceptional rookie campaign will be remembered for his runner-up effort at the 2021 Masters during his Augusta National debut. Zalatoris ultimately ranked seventh on tour in SG: approach, ninth in SG: tee-to-green and 11th in par-5 scoring. The sky is the limit for the 25-year-old Wake Forest product if the putter begins to cooperate on a more consistent basis.

The leader on the Korn Ferry Tour's points list has risen to a career-best 143rd in the Official World Golf Ranking thanks in part to nine top-10s in 15 starts on the KFT during the 2020 season, which included a win at the TPC Colorado Championship in early July. Zalatoris, a 24-year-old Wake Forest product, led the KFT in GIR percentage along the way while also ranking seventh in birdie average, fourth in total driving and first in total eagles. This combination indicates quite a bit of future fantasy upside if he's able to translate such quality ball-striking to the big-league venues.

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Withdraws from Charles Schwab

Undisclosed

May 19, 2025

Zalatoris (undisclosed) has withdrawn from the 2025 Charles Schwab Challenge, according to PGA Tour Communications.