CROMWELL, Conn. — Will Zalatoris looked lost on the second hole at Pinehurst, and that’s why he missed the cut at the U.S. Open.
But instead of dwelling on his poor play, Zalatoris flew directly from North Carolina to Connecticut ahead of the Travelers Championship to get some extra practice. The move has paid off so far, as Zalatoris posted an impressive opening score of 6-under 64, his worst score of the season. He’s currently two strokes behind leader Tom Kim.
“I came here on Saturday night and practiced all day on Sunday trying to understand what was going on,” Zalatoris explained.
“I had developed some bad habits, so I thought about what I needed to fix and dug it up out of the ground. It’s good to be able to do that.”
Zalatoris missed most of the 2023 season after injuring his back on the driving range at Augusta National just minutes before the start of the first round of the Masters. He then sat out eight months before returning at the Hero World Challenge in December. The former Wake Forest Demon Deacon had an up-and-down start to the year, but finally found his groove at the Genesis Invitational and Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he finished second and tied for fourth, respectively.
However, he has only had one top 10 finish since then, a tie for ninth at the Masters.
“At the beginning of this season, I would play in a tournament and then have to rest three or four days, but now I can just keep playing,” Zalatoris said.
“It’s really warm and it’s obviously helping my back, but I think I’m just trying to find the right rhythm to take breaks. So far, this stretch feels the best.”
Now, Zalatoris is able to hit 300-400 balls a day, which helps him work on his swing. But if his back didn’t allow him to do that, it would hinder his ability to compete and improve. Luckily, those ailments are a thing of the past for him for now.
“As time goes on since my surgery last year, my back is feeling better, I’m recovering quicker and I’m feeling better,” Zalatoris said.
“As the year progressed, I felt a lot better, even though it didn’t show in the results. I just picked up some bad habits and thought it would be a good reset after the U.S. Open. I love majors and it’s always been my career goal to win them. You hate the way you’re playing and sometimes you have to dig yourself out of the mud.”
Perhaps his effort will pave the way to victory this week at the Travelers Championship, or it could be a harbinger of things to come at Royal Troon.
Who knows. Whatever happens, we’d all love to see Zalatoris back on the road and working hard to overcome his bad habits.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
