The former PGA Tour Rookie of the Year has undergone another surgery to fix two herniated discs on his back and missed the rest of the FedEx Cup season, he announced on social media on Monday.
Zaratoris, 28, underwent surgery at the Texas Back Institute on Friday. Zaratoris said he began to feel “the discomfort and instability gradually worsened” this spring. An MRI after the PGA Championship earlier this month revealed his injuries.
“I’m happy to say I’ve been woken up with good and excited feelings about my long-term back health,” Zalatoris said in a statement. “It’s time to focus on my recovery and then return to my return. Thank you for being there for me and for me throughout this journey.
Zalatoris has fought injuries for most of the past three seasons. In April 2023, he underwent a microresectomy to remove some of the herniated discs pushing the spinal nerve. He missed the rest of 2023 season.
In 2022, Zalatoris was forced to break out of the FedEx Cup playoffs after an injury to his back in the second round of the BMW Championship, a week after winning his first PGA Tour victory in the playoffs at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He missed the end-of-season Tour Championship and did not play again until the 2024 season.
2021 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Zalatoris was considered one of the rising stars of the sport after finishing six major top 10 from 2020 to 2022. He finished second in the 2021 Masters and finished second in the PGA Championship, with the US opening next year.
Zaratoris, who missed a cut in each of his last four major starts, fell to 84th in the official world golf rankings.