The back surgeries just keep coming for one-time PGA Tour winner Will Zalatoris, and after his upcoming procedure in November, he will miss the entire 2027 season.
Zalatoris, 30, delivered a health update on Wednesday at the media day for the PGA Tour Fall Series’ Austin Championship that will be played Nov. 12-15 at the Omni Barton Creek Resort. The Texas resident will compete in the tournament, then shut his play down and undergo spinal-fusion surgery in late November. It will be Zalatoris’ third major back surgery since 2023.
“I’ve been through four years of hell, so it’s good to have something that will hopefully correct it,” Zalatoris told reporters. “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 won his only title in the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Classic playoff event, and that season he finished runner-up in majors twice and lost in playoffs twice. But he’s had a difficult road since, having a microdiscectomy in 2023 and an artificial disc replacement in 2025. Zalatoris has made only 15 starts over the last two seasons, with four appearances this year after suffering a torn right labrum. He said Wednesday that he reinjured his back at the Valero Texas Open in April, his last start.
“It’s all connected together and I just want to get It fixed,” Zalatoris 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.”
