Will Zalatoris finishes 2 inches shy of first TOUR win at Farmers Insurance Open

Will Zalatoris thought he had it won.

The first-year PGA TOUR member had remained steady throughout Saturday’s final round of the Farmers Insurance Open, playing alongside Torrey Pines specialist Jason Day and Aaron Rai in the final threesome, and Zalatoris faced an 8-foot birdie putt at the 72nd hole to earn his first TOUR title.

Zalatoris knew the putt. He had prepared for this putt. And he hit a good putt.

“I thought I made it,” Zalatoris said. “I just needed a hair more speed. I’ve seen enough putts through the years coming down that hill to know that that putt just doesn’t go left. And it happened to go left.”

Zalatoris’ birdie try for the win appeared to be tracking toward the center of the cup, but it turned at the last second and stayed 2 inches left. He entered a playoff with Luke List at 15-under total, which List won with a tap-in birdie on the first playoff hole – again, the par-5 18th at Torrey Pines (South).

Zalatoris’ 15-footer for birdie slid by, and he’ll head northward for next week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am left to mentally replay Saturday’s happenings on the 72nd green.

While meeting with the media in the gloaming on Saturday evening, Zalatoris harkened back to a similar situation on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2020, where he faced a mid-range birdie try on the 72nd hole to enter a playoff at the Utah Championship.

The putt horseshoed out, but Zalatoris responded with a victory at the following week’s TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes.

The 25-year-old plans to channel those memories as he returns to his childhood home region, the San Francisco Bay Area, with full intent of resuming his pursuit of a breakthrough PGA TOUR title.

“The emotions that I’m kind of feeling are a little bit from the Korn Ferry Tour, right before my first win … I horseshoed one from about 15 feet and then won the next week,” said Zalatoris on Saturday evening. “So I know my game’s really close.

“I want to go get next week. It’s pretty simple. I’ve got no regrets today at all. I thought I battled like hell all day and handled myself really well. I had my chances, for sure, but that’s just the nature of this game.

“It’s hard to win out here; there’s no question about that.”