Will Zalatoris continues upward trend after return from injury at Arnold Palmer Invitational

ORLANDO, Fla. – Will Zalatoris had just won his first PGA TOUR event, contended in several majors and had a reputation as one of the TOUR’s top ballstrikers when it was all abruptly taken away from him in the summer of 2022. He was sidelined for the majority of the next 18 months by a back injury that required surgery and mandated modifications to the golf swing that was capable of producing golf shots even his fellow pros envied.

Zalatoris is back on TOUR this year, and his latest comeback appears to be ahead of schedule. After finishing second at The Genesis Invitational, Zalatoris opened the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard with a 3-under 69 that left him two off the lead.

His team believes this reboot could produce a player even better than the one that once reached seventh in the Official World Golf Ranking.

It may be hard to believe considering all that Zalatoris accomplished before being sidelined – winning a FedExCup Playoffs event and finishing second in three majors in a 14-month span – but renewed gratitude and improved mechanics are the foundation for the optimism from those closest to him.

“We keep saying 'Will 2.0' might be better than the first version,” said Josh Gregory, his short-game and performance coach.

One week after winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August 2022, Zalatoris had to withdraw from the BMW Championship because of herniated disks in his back. He sat out the remainder of the year to rest and recuperate, but his return only lasted seven events before his back forced him to withdraw again, this time moments before his tee time at Augusta National. He underwent surgery shortly after and was sidelined until the Hero World Challenge in December, where he finished last in the 20-man field after shooting 81 in the first round and 79 two days later.

The struggles appear to be short-lived, however. He has improved in each start this season, including a T13 at the Farmers Insurance Open and a runner-up in his previous tournament, The Genesis Invitational.

Just playing five events by early March puts Zalatoris ahead of schedule, said Gregory. Contending in them is a bonus.

Zalatoris is back to excelling on some of the TOUR’s toughest tests. That includes this week, a tournament where he has traditionally struggled. He’d broken par in just three of his 12 rounds here and was 12-over in his previous five rounds at Bay Hill.

Zalatoris made the turn Thursday in 1-over par but shot a bogey-free 32 on the back nine. He birdied the par-5 12th before making eagle at the par-5 16th and a birdie at the next hole. Zalatoris hit a 7-iron to 6 feet at No. 16 before knocking a 6-iron to 17 feet at No. 17.

“Everything feels really good,” Zalatoris said.

Zalatoris and his swing coach, Troy Denton, have flattened Zalatoris’ swing to keep him from tilting to the right through impact, which put pressure on his back. Zalatoris relies more on his body’s rotation to square the clubface instead of his hands.

That’s reduced the variety of trajectories he can hit with his irons, but it’s a trade-off he welcomes.

“It’s a lot more simple, which is great,” said Zalatoris. “I think the word that we’re using with everything is ‘simplify.’”

Zalatoris is still an elite iron player, ranking 15th in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green this season. He hit 15 of 18 greens Thursday. He has sacrificed some distance off the tee, switching back to a 44.5-driver after using a 46-incher previously, but that allows him to hit more fairways. He missed just four of the 14 fairways in the first round at Bay Hill.

“It’s going to help his longevity, but the best part about what he and Troy are doing is that it also makes him better technically,” said Gregory.

Being unable to take full swings for several months last year also has paid dividends in Zalatoris’ short game, Gregory said, as has the switch to a long putter. He still has to be cognizant about how much he plays and practices, but that also encourages his team’s emphasis on simplicity. Zalatoris once had an insatiable work ethic, but now must maximize his practice time. That requires him to stick to the plan laid out by he and his team instead of hitting unlimited balls, searching for problems to fix.

“The last time when got hurt, when he was out for those five or six months, I think he left on cloud nine,” Gregory said. “He’d just won at Memphis, three seconds in majors, he was arguably a top-three player in the world. And so, the motivation was getting back to golf. It was golf, golf, golf, let’s win.

“And I think now the focus has been on his health. Let’s get healthy. Let’s get his mind right, his body right. Golf s going to be there. Golf is going to be fine.”

And so will Will Zalatoris.