Will Zalatoris A Late Withdrawal From Cognizant Classic

There was a late, late withdrawal from the Cognizant Classic as Will Zalatoris pulled out just ahead of the first round at PGA National.

The 29-year-old was due to make his third PGA Tour start of the year in Palm Beach Gardens, and was part of the main featured group that included Brooks Koepka.

However, barely half an hour before he was due to tee off news came through that Zalatoris had withdrawan - and was replaced by Ben Silverman.

Koepka and now Silverman will play alongside Daniel Berger in the first two rounds at PGA National.

No official word has come through about the reson for the withdrawal, but hopefully it's nothing too serious and not related to the back injury that's plague him in recent years.

Zalatoris had multiple back operations over two years to try and sort out the discs in his back he recently decribed as being "like Jenga pieces" and had hoped the worst was behind him.

He finished a creditable T18 at the American Express in January in his first start in the United States since missing the cut at the PGA Championship last May.

“This is the first time I would say in four years that I haven’t been able to not have any sciatica down my legs,” Zalatoris said at the American Express.

“This time around I’m pushing myself in the gym harder than I ever have. I’m able to do the things that I haven’t been able to do for years.”

Playing on a major medical exemption this season, Zalatoris followed up with a missed cut at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in his last appearance on Tour.

He wasn't ranked high enough to make the field at the WM Phoenix Open or the following Signature Events at Pebble Beach and the Genesis Invitational, but he had hoped to push on at the Cognizant Classic before his late, late withdrawal.

It would've been a tournament debut for Zalatoris, who had spoken in the build-up about how he felt his injury woes were now fully behind him after his final back surgery after the PGA Championship last year.

"I think the part that's fun about this now is the three years of kind of going through all this is over," Zalatoris told the Palm Beach Post., while also saying he's now actually almost an inch taller after his last back surgery. "The sciatica, the leg weakness, like I haven't had any of that.

"The difference now is that I can do the things that I've needed to do. Physically, I wasn't capable of doing those things. And so there would even be times where I'd play a couple of weeks and I'd have to take a full week off."

The former World No.7 is an elite ball striker and was runner-up at three Majors, including in successive events at the 2022 PGA Championship and US Open - looking every bit a Major champion in waiting.

Hopefully his withdrawal in Florida is precautionary and nothing more serious.