Will Zalatoris secures The Open Championship berth at Arnold Palmer Invitational

Will Zalatoris fell short of his second PGA TOUR title Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, but his tie for fourth wasn’t for naught: he secured a spot at The Open Championship this summer.

Zalatoris punched his ticket to Royal Troon via The Open Qualifying Series, which awarded one spot to the top finisher at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, not otherwise exempt. Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark and Shane Lowry – the top three finishers at Bay Hill respectively – had previously earned exemptions for The Open via other criteria.

“I love it … I love the challenge,” Zalatoris said. “The Open Championship, it’s just special, no matter where it is … I embrace hard, hard golf courses, so I’m hoping for some rich Scottish weather when we get over there.”

If Zalatoris ultimately earns an Open invite via the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking at the cutoff mark this summer, the spot will open for Sahith Theegala, who finished sixth at Bay Hill alongside Brendon Todd. (If Theegala were to also earn The Open spot via the OWGR, the spot would go to Todd. Theegala earns the first tiebreaker as the higher-ranked OWGR player currently.)

Zalatoris led through much of Saturday’s third round at Bay Hill, reaching 11-under, but he was derailed by two double bogeys in his final five holes, falling two off the lead into Sunday. He closed in even-par 72 for a 7-under 271 total, ultimately eight strokes back of winner Scottie Scheffler. Still, Zalatoris’ performance is indicative of a continued progression in his return from a back injury that sidelined him for most of last season. He also finished runner-up at The Genesis Invitational last month, which earned a spot at the Arnold Palmer Invitational via the Aon Next 10.

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

Zalatoris’ track record in major championships is well documented, and deservingly so. The Wake Forest alum has recorded six top-10 finishes in 10 major starts, including three runner-up finishes. He has earned at least one top-10 at three of the four majors, but not yet at The Open – this summer, he’ll have a chance to change that.

“To be in all four majors is pretty special,” Zalatoris said, “and I’m looking forward to getting some vengeance in The Open Championship.”

Zalatoris played collegiate golf at Wake Forest on the Arnold Palmer Scholarship, and it’s perhaps fitting that he earned a spot at The Open at the event that honors Palmer, a two-time winner at The Open. Safe to say Palmer would appreciate it.