"Beyond Disappointed" - Will Zalatoris Withdraws From Open Championship

The 24-year-old injured himself during the opening round after hacking out of the rough

"Beyond Disappointed" - Will Zalatoris Withdraws From Open Championship

Will Zalatoris has withdrawn from the 149th Open Championship prior to his second round at Royal St George's.

The talented American, playing in his first ever Open, carded a one-under-par 69 on Thursday but injured himself whilst hacking out of the rough.

The rough at Royal St George's is supremely thick this week and Zalatoris looked to hurt himself during a shot.

The 24-year-old confirmed on Instagram that it was that shot out of the rough on the 15th, which sent a tingling down his left leg.

He says he was advised to not risk any further damage and is "beyond disappointed" to withdraw.

"I am beyond disappointed to pull out of The Open Championship," he said in a statement posted on social media.

"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.

The shot that injured Zalatoris:

"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."

The embarrassing incident Zalatoris refers to is the 'yipped' putt he hit on the 17th hole, where he missed from inside 2ft:

The American is, incredibly, still not a member of the PGA Tour despite ranking 30th in the world.

He was 2nd at The Masters this year and T6th at the US Open in 2020, which gained him entry into PGA Tour events and started his incredible run.