PGA Tour winner confirms comeback after three-year injury nightmare
PGA Tour winner Will Zalatoris has explained why he finally believes he is over his back woes.
Will Zalatoris has claimed he has reached the light at the end of the tunnel.
The PGA Tour golfer, 29, has struggled significantly over the last few years with back issues and has even been forced to go under the knife on more than one occasion.
Zalatoris' problems began in 2022 when he was forced to withdraw from the BMW Championship with two herniated discs.
He made his return in April 2023 but was once again forced to spend another protracted spell on the sidelines.
It was even more frustrating for Zalatoris given between 2020 and 2022 he had amassed six top 10s in major championships and even secured his first big win.
He even reached a career-high seventh in the world rankings.
Zalatoris has now confirmed he is preparing for the 2026 season four months removed from his latest surgery.
He is playing at least 18 holes every day.
"It's been a long grind, don't get me wrong, but this is the most positive I've felt in three years," Zalatoris told the PGA Tour's official website.
He was speaking from the Simmons Bank Championship that takes place on the PGA Tour Champions.
"I am getting a lot of advice this week on the PGA Tour Champions since there are a lot of guys with a lot of mileage on their bodies," Zalatoris said. "So I am definitely taking some notes this week."
He added: "I feel like the nightmare of three years of back pain is kind of gone now, finally."
Watch the video here:
After undergoing back surgery in May, Will Zalatoris is optimistic about his eventual return to competition.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 23, 2025
Zalatoris visited the @ChampionsTour @SBGolfChamp this week and offered an update pic.twitter.com/Hq4gUpRfXj
How close has Will Zalatoris come to winning a major?
Zalatoris has had a number of close calls.
In 2021, he finished one stroke behind Hideki Matsuyama at The Masters.
It was even more remarkable given it was his rookie appearance at Augusta National.
Later that season, he was named the PGA Tour's rookie of the year.
Zalatoris also lost in a three-hole play-off to Justin Thomas at the 2022 PGA Championship.
He held the 54-hole lead but was reeled in by his compatriot.
Zalatoris also came up one stroke shy of forcing a play-off at the 2022 US Open.
He missed an 18-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to force extra holes against England's Matthew Fitzpatrick.
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