Will Zalatoris says 'nightmare' of back pain finally gone

Will Zalatoris seems to be feeling better than he has in nearly three years and is planning to return to the PGA Tour in 2026.

After missing the cut in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in May, Zalatoris underwent back surgery for the second time in just over two years.

The 29-year-old had enjoyed rising success from 2020 to 2022, notching six top-10 finishes in major championships and earning his first PGA Tour victory at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August 2022.

But he had to withdraw from the following week's event with a back injury that has nagged him ever since, causing him to play in just 41 events after his breakthrough win.

In April 2023 he had surgery to remove a portion of a herniated disk that was pressing on a spinal nerve, and this past May he had surgery to address two herniated disks in his back.

After the May surgery, Zalatoris said he was aiming to return in the fall, but in speaking to Golf Digest Thursday at the at the PGA Tour Champions' Simmons Bank Championship, Zalatoris said he's set his sights on a 2026 return.

"I feel like the nightmare of three years of back pain is gone," Zalatoris told Golf Digest. "Finally, I am able to be a 29-year-old kid and go to work. 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 so I am definitely taking some notes this week."

Zalatoris did not appear deterred by a delay in return to play from his original projection.

"I'm already back playing, I'm grinding every day," he said in the interview. "Trying to get in at least 18 (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."

--Field Level Media