Will Zalatoris won't be back soon, thanks to his back.
Zalatoris withdrew from the 2023 Masters in the hours leading up to Round 1, but he won't see the golf course for the remainder of the 2022-23 PGA Tour slate while he rehabs and recovers from back surgery.
On April 10, Zalatoris announced he underwent a procedure to fix his ailing back, leaving him out of action until the new PGA Tour season kicks off in the fall.
Zalatoris released a statement explaining his procedure and the pain he was in:
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After careful consideration and seeking multiple medical opinions, I underwent a successful microdiscectomy on Saturday. As much as I hate not being able to play the rest of the season, I am happy that I am already seeing the benefits of the procedure. Playing and living in pain is not fun. I look forward to making a full recovery and seeing everyone in the fall. Thank you to Dr. Michael Duffy, Dr. Tom Kelton, and their respective teams for getting me fixed. And, of course, thank you to everyone for the support and the messages. I look forward to getting back to 100%.
Zalatoris' back injury has persisted over the last year. He spent time reworking his swing as well as rehabbing his back injury after withdrawing from the BMW Championship (the second of three FedEx Playoffs events) in 2022. He wouldn't return to the course until the Sentry Tournament of Champions this past January.
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The world's No. 8-ranked golfer secured his first PGA Tour win in 2022, winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first of three FedEx Cup playoff events. He flirted with multiple major wins in 2022, finishing tied for sixth in the Masters, second in the PGA Championship and tied for second in the U.S. Open.
Per the Mayo Clinic, a discectomy is a surgery that removes "the damaged part of a disk in the spine that has its soft center pushing out through the tough outer lining."
But, Zalatoris has a new back — and he'll be back later in 2023 to show it off.