Will Zalatoris was 7 under par going into Saturday’s round, just six strokes behind the Rocket Mortgage Classic leader.
But after eight holes, former Wake Forest University player Damon Deacon withdrew from the tournament. Zalatoris was three over par after eight holes but chose to withdraw.
The PGA Tour’s PR team cited a back injury as the reason for Zalatoris’ withdrawal, but CBS Sports analyst Amanda Balionis said Zalatoris’ His hips caused him to retreat From the tournament.
He told her he heard a “pop” in the “good side” of his lower back. Zalatoris said he felt like playing four straight weeks had caught up with him. The golfer, ranked 42nd in the world, has played in the Memorial, U.S. Open and Travelers Championship.
His agent, Allen Hobbs, A statement was issued Detroit sportscaster Gina Trotman said of Zalatoris’ departure:
“Will experienced discomfort after his swing today and has made the difficult decision to withdraw out of an abundance of caution,” the statement read. “It is important to listen to your body and get some rest. He is reluctant to withdraw from the Rocket Mortgage Classic and looks forward to returning to the course soon.”
He has one PGA Tour win in his short career, the FedEx St. Jude Championship in 2022. Zalatoris underwent microdiscectomy surgery in April 2023 for a herniated disk in his back that caused him to miss the remainder of the season.
Zalatoris said earlier this year that Tiger Woods helped him deal with a back injury during his rehabilitation.
The Dallas resident has played in 15 tournaments this season and made the cut 11 times. He finished tied for ninth at the Masters but has not finished in the top 40 in his eight starts since. This is not the first time Zalatori has played it safe, having withdrawn from the Byron Nelson in March because of an aggravating back injury.
It is unclear when his next event will be, but the choice to withdraw appears to have been a precautionary measure.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Instagram: @savannah_leigh_sports
