AUSTIN — Will Zalatoris, who has battle wounds for most of his promising career on the PGA Tour, said Wednesday that he will undergo spinal fusion surgery in Dallas next month to correct ongoing back problems and will miss the entire 2027 PGA Tour season.
“I’ve been through four years of hell, so it’s good to have something that will hopefully correct it,” Zalatoris said during media day. Austin Championship. “It’s not something you want to do, but when you have three Tour physios telling you it has to be done at some point, you go ahead and do it.”
Zalatoris, who finished second in the Masters and PGA Championships, and has a PGA Tour win, missed part of the 2026 season with a torn labrum, after recovering from his most recent back surgery in 2025.
“It’s all connected together and I just want to fix it,” he said. “I can’t promise anyone because of what I’ve been through. I’m the oldest 30-year-old you’ll ever meet.”
Zalatoris plans to play in the Austin Championship at Omni Barton Creek Resort on Nov. 12-15 before undergoing surgery at the end of the month. It is similar to surgery Tiger Woods he did, but with a different surgeon in Dallas.
“I’m just working on the availability is the best part of the capacity phase,” he said. “I just enjoy the Tuesday-Wednesday practice rounds with the guys more than any Thursday-Friday round.”
Zalatoris said he hurt his back again in San Antonio this spring at the Valero Texas Open when he tried to play 27 holes in cool weather. After playing in Houston the week before, the San Antonio event was his last of the year.
“I’ve been in touch with the Tour, which has been great,” he said. “It looks like I can come back in 2028 and play in the Challenger Series if everything works out as it should.”
