World No.9 Will Zalatoris Announces Return Date After Back Surgery

Will Zalatoris has revealed when he plans on resuming his career after undergoing successful back surgery.

The 26-year-old withdrew from this year's Masters due to a back injury minutes ahead of his first round tee time at Augusta National, before announcing he had decided to go under the knife for a microdiscectomy.

"After careful consideration and seeking multiple medical opinions, I underwent a successful microdiscectomy."  Zalatoris wrote. "As much as I hate not being able to play the rest of the season, I am happy that I am already seeing the benefits of the procedure. Playing and living in pain is not fun. 

"I look forward to making a full recovery and seeing everyone in the fall. Thank you to Dr. Michael Duffy, Dr. Tom Kelton, and their respective teams for getting me fixed. And, of course, thank you to everyone for the support and the messages. I look forward to getting back to 100 per cent."

Zalatoris, who lost out in a playoff to Justin Thomas at last year's PGA Championship, has now given a more concrete date for his latest comeback. On ESPN's alternative telecast of the PGA Championship on Friday, the American reiterated that the surgery was a success and revealed that he is targeting a September return.

He also admitted he was pain free for the first time in "two years," before adding: "No headaches, no leg pain. This is the best I've felt, I feel great."

Zalatoris' injury woes first became apparent when he missed the end of 2022 after suffering two herniated discs during the BMW Championship, the week after landing his maiden PGA Tour title. That injury meant he had to sit out the FedEx Cup finale at East Lake and the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow. 

He then made his return at the year-opening Sentry Tournament of Champions, but worse was to come on the eve of the 87th Masters, when he was forced out of the Green Jacket showdown and the rest of the year's Majors.