Will Zalatoris Withdraws From Open Championship With Injury
As one of the most exciting young players on tour, Will Zalatoris embarked on his Open Championship debut at Royal St. George’s Golf Club earlier this week. And after a solid start to the tournament, including a hole-out eagle on the par-4 11th, the 24-year-old golfer looked primed for yet another impressive major finish.
Unfortunately, that dream start would soon come to an end.
Zalatoris withdrew from The Open prior to his second round on Friday.
“I am beyond disappointed to pull out of The Open Championship this week,” he wrote in a statement. “The second shot out of the heavy rough on #15 yesterday sent a tingling down my left leg and I have been advised to not risk any further damage to my back. I contemplated not finishing the round yesterday, but considering this is my first Open, I felt like I needed to finish the round (even if it meant embarrassing myself a little at the end ha!) I tried to hit some balls this morning and did some extra work in the gym with no improvement. I am completely gutted to not be moving forward in the championship. I look forward to coming back as soon as I can…thank you everyone for the support.”
Update from @WillZalatoris pic.twitter.com/DUoDbIcDeC
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) July 16, 2021
At 2-under on the day, Zalatoris drove his tee shot into the deep Open rough on No. 15. The notoriously slim golfer was forced to use all of his strength to muscle out of the Royal St. George’s hay — resulting in some visible pain after the shot. Despite battling through some clear discomfort, the talented young golfer was able to save par and bounce back with a birdie on No. 16.
The thick hay almost broke Will Zalatoris pic.twitter.com/tkrc6CbkWO
— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) July 15, 2021
The back injury really seemed to catch up with him on No. 17 though. Stiffly lining up for what should’ve been a gimmie, Zalatoris pushed a one-foot par putt (the embarrassing moment he referenced in his statement).
He would drop another shot on the final hole to finish the day at 1-under.
This short putt from Will Zalatoris is…troubling.
Not just the first putt but the second, too! Demons. Golf is hard. pic.twitter.com/ylSXQDLU1E
— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) July 15, 2021
After an incredible run of major finishes (T-6 at 2020 U.S. Open, 2 at 2021 Masters and T-8 at 2021 PGA Championship), Zalatoris has failed to make it to the weekend in his last two — missing the cut at the 2021 U.S. Open and now notching a WD at The Open.
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