Will Zalatoris withdraws midway through third round of Rocket Mortgage Classic

Will Zalatoris has withdrawn from the Rocket Mortgage Classic, PGA TOUR Communications announced Saturday afternoon.

Zalatoris was 3-over through eight holes of his third round at Detroit Golf Club. He made bogeys on Nos. 2, 4 and 5, a double-bogey 7 on the par-5 seventh hole and birdies on Nos. 3 and 8.

Zalatoris, who was playing with Nick Dunlap and Dylan Wu, shook his playing partners’ hands on the ninth tee.

“Will experienced some discomfort after a swing today and, out of utmost precaution, made the tough decision to withdraw," said Zalatoris' manager Allen Hobbs in a statement. "It’s important that he listens to his body and gets some rest. He hates to withdraw from the Rocket Mortgage Classic and looks forward to getting back out on the course soon.”

According to the CBS broadcast, Zalatoris “felt something pop” in his hip, however, it was on his “good” side and not his “bad” side – referencing the back surgery he had in April in 2023.

Zalatoris told CBS that playing the last four weeks in a row had “finally caught up with him.”

Zalatoris is in his comeback season after a microdiscectomy just over a year ago. He’s notched three top-10 finishes so far in 2024 including a tie for second at The Genesis Invitational.

“It's been a grind this year, to put it mildly, coming back from surgery, trying to integrate the changes, and I feel like I put one round together and then maybe kind of don't have it another day,” Zalatoris said Thursday. “So. I didn't really see much positives for about a month there and it's nice to see a couple low rounds already.”

The one-time PGA TOUR winner shot rounds of 66-71 at Detroit Golf Club before withdrawing.

Zalatoris withdrew from the 2022 FedExCup Playoffs after suffering from two herniated discs during the BMW Championship – just one week after winning his maiden TOUR title at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

He tried to play through the pain before withdrawing from the 2023 Masters before his Thursday tee time. He was on the operating table about 48 hours later for the microdiscectomy.

Zalatoris made his competitive return at the Hero World Challenge last November.