Will Zalatoris will miss the entire 2027 season after revealing he will undergo spinal fusion surgery next month, the latest blow in an injury-ravaged career for the former world No. 7.
The 30-year-old American made the announcement on Wednesday (US time) at media day for the PGA Tour’s Austin Championship, GOLF.com reported.
“I’ve been through four years of hell so it’s good to have something that will hopefully correct it,” Zalatoris said. “It’s not something you want to do, but when you have three Tour physical therapists tell you it needs to be done at some time, you go ahead and do it.”
Zalatoris plans to tee it up in the Austin Championship at Omni Barton Creek Resort from 12 to 15 November, then have the operation in Dallas at the end of the month, according to GOLF.com.
Back trouble returned in Texas
Zalatoris played just four PGA Tour events this season and made the cut in two, ESPN reported. His last start was the Valero Texas Open in April, where he finished tied 67th, and he said he hurt his back again at that event when he tried to play 27 holes in cool weather.
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He also missed part of the 2026 season with a torn labrum, after recovering from his most recent back surgery in 2025.
“It’s all connected together and I just want to get it fixed,” he said. “I can’t promise anybody anything because of what I’ve been through. I’m the oldest 30-year-old you will ever meet.”
2028 return target
Zalatoris said he hopes to be back in 2028, when the PGA Tour moves to a two-tier system with the Challenger Series as the main pathway to the elevated Championship Series.
“I’ve been in contact with the Tour, which has been great,” he said. “It looks like I can come back in 2028 and play in the Challenger Series if everything works like it should.”
A career stalled by injury
The former Wake Forest star was the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year in 2021 and won the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship. He finished runner-up at both the Masters and the PGA Championship and posted six top-10 finishes in majors from 2020 to 2022.
Injuries have dogged him since, with a microdiscectomy in April 2023 and another back operation in 2025. This will be his third major back procedure since 2023, and he has slipped outside the top 600 in the world rankings, Yahoo Sports reported.
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