Tiger Woods ex coach shares Will Zalatoris $130m LIV Golf claim after latest setback

Tiger Woods' former golf coach Hank Haney is of the belief PGA Tour star Will Zalatoris should have accepted a huge fee to join LIV Golf in the midst of his back problems. 

Zalatoris, 28, took to his social media channels this week to confirm he has undergone yet more back surgery.

An MRI scan last week revealed the one-time PGA Tour winner had re-herniated two discs after he missed the cut at the PGA Championship.

Zalatoris will now miss the remaining majors of the season - and more than likely a first appearance at the Ryder Cup in September.

He confirmed in a statement that he will hopefully return to competitive action in the fall. 

It marks the second back surgery Zalatoris has had since 2023 - a year he was offered a reported $130m to join the breakaway LIV Golf League.

Zalatoris allegedly turned down such an offer as he wanted to continue his steady progress on the PGA Tour.

But in the eyes of Woods' ex golf coach Haney, 69, it was the wrong call, especially given all of his back troubles so early on in his pro career. 

Haney, who helped Woods win six majors and 31 titles from 2004 to 2010, made his feelings clear when retweeting a fan's post in response to Barstool Sports' Dan Rapaport. 

"Feel bad for Will….guy was talked out of a massive deal with LIV that would have set him and his future family up for a few generations," read a fan's tweet that Haney shared on X / Twitter.

"Remember, anyone who talks someone out of that kind of money doesn’t give a sh*t about that person."

Zalatoris first went under the knife in April 2023 when surgeons performed a microdiscectomy to try and sort out his initial back problem.

He made his return at Tiger Woods' Hero World Challenge in December that year.

But his results have been sketchy to say the least ever since he made his return to the PGA Tour.

Zalatoris has picked up just three top-10 finishes since January 2024. 

Once ranked seventh in the world, one-time PGA Tour winner Zalatoris is currently ranked 84th.

And he will be well outside the top 100 when he has fully recovered from surgery this fall.

Zalatoris will now crucially miss out on competing the U.S. Open next month and The Open in July.

He will also likely miss out on a first appearance in the U.S. Ryder Cup team in September. 

Zalatoris revealed in his statement, which you can read in full below, that a recent MRI scan showed he had re-herniated two discs.

After discussing options with his medical team, Zalatoris underwent surgery last Friday with Dr. Michael Duffy at the Texas Back Institute.

"I'm happy to say that I woke up feeling good and excited about my long-term back health," wrote Zalatoris.

"Time to focus on my recovery and get back after it.

"Thank you to my team, friends and family for being there for me throughout this journey.

"Looking forward to seeing everyone in the fall!!"