For five years, Will Zalatoris hadn’t had a normal pre-season. Since 2019, all his autumns and winters have been a hell filled with rehabilitation and physiotherapy sessions. He had to protect, rest, and care more than train. His body, at first, still endured his battered back, heavily punished among other things by his swing, but obviously, excesses were forbidden.
Zalatoris did more than just endure. He displayed extraterrestrial golf. He rocketed from the Korn Ferry Tour to the PGA Tour, leaving his mark especially in the Majors. Before reaching the first division of the American circuit, he had already left his calling card with a sixth place in the 2020 US Open. What followed was being second in the Masters and eighth in the 2021 PGA Championship. That same year, he had to withdraw from the Open Championship. A serious first warning that something was wrong. Zalatoris already knew it, he had been warned, but he had to push forward while he could.
In 2022, he exploded. In every sense. He was sixth in the Masters, second in the PGA, and second in the US Open. Additionally, as a climax, he won the FedEx St Jude Championship, the first playoff of that season and his first victory on the PGA Tour. The chronicle of a victory more than announced. However, it cost him his health. His back, almost simultaneously, gave out. He withdrew from the BMW Championship, his next tournament to win, and began his journey through the desert.
He thought it would be the usual. That with the pre-season rest, care, and physiotherapy, he would be ready again for 2023. But his body, his back, had already said enough. He competed in the first tournaments of the year and achieved good results, a fourth in the Genesis at Riviera, but he didn’t even make it to the Masters. A herniated disc that practically numbed his leg forced him to undergo surgery. He missed the entire year. He returned at the Hero World Challenge, 360 days ago. Since then, he has had to get his body used to a new swing and his new swing to his body. It hasn’t been an easy task, although his immense talent has left fantastic flashes: 2nd in the Genesis, 4th in the Arnold Palmer, or 9th in the Masters.
In June, a blow to the ‘good’ hip raised alarms. It kept him out of some tournaments, but luckily it was just a scare, and after the BMW Championship, he has been able to work on his body like never before. He had never done so much physical work. “I’ve probably worked harder than ever. I’ve gained five kilos of muscle. I’ve put in the effort trying to regain speed and improve with the broomstick putter, and it’s gone well,” he confessed this week in the lead-up to the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
It hasn’t just been a task in the gym; Zalatoris has also followed a strict diet at home. “I haven’t played much, but it was on purpose. I wanted to be home to eat my 4,500 calories a day and 200 grams of protein, train, and improve. It’s nice to have a year where, instead of rehabilitating, I’m truly progressing,” he noted.
It’s not that good old Will has turned overnight into Bryson DeChambeau, but five kilos on someone as slender as the 28-year-old golfer from San Francisco is more than significant. He is convinced that the best of his career is yet to come, and he is willing to do anything to prove it. For now, he hasn’t had a good start at the Nedbank (+2), but he still has three rounds ahead to improve. However, his main goal is called 2025.
