Will Zalatoris had a great day at Riviera Country Club on opening day of the Genesis Invitational. He shot a 5-under 66 and was tied for fifth after 18 holes.
It wasn’t the best start to the season for him as expected. It took him a while to get back into shape after he missed more than eight months with a back injury. But every week he plays, he does better than the last time.
Zalatoris missed the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii, finished 34th at the American Express, and had a career-best finish of 13th at the Farmers Insurance Open in his last start.
he logged in on thursday 7 birdies And two bogeys. He made so many clutch putts that the 27-year-old was credited with changing his putter to improve on the greens.
“I switched to a broomstick putter, which was a big change,” Zalatoris said. “I basically couldn’t hit the ball for about four-and-a-half months, so I was able to tinker with it a little bit for a while, remembering last year’s comeback when that didn’t go very well. ”
Zalatoris also tries to make things less complex.
“I think it’s about keeping everything simple, staying true to my roots as a ball striker and not getting too caught up in pressure and things like that,” he said. “It’s just about feeling comfortable. From there, let’s see if we can get even more speed. In the Bahamas, I was just seeing where I was…every week is getting more and more I was getting better. I just have to keep playing.”
The FedEx St. Jude winner got off to a great start Thursday. He birdied the first and third holes and never slowed down. Zalatoris made four consecutive birdies and finished with a 29.
He had two bogeys and one more birdie, but for the most part it was a strong day for him.
“I had to practice a few more rounds to get it freewheeling,” Zalatoris said. “I know it’s weird to say that after taking 29 shots up front, but I still think about what I’m doing behind the ball and then get over it and do that.” I think we need to make it happen. It will be a lot easier if we can race this weekend.”
Zalatoris is regaining his momentum after a long break, and a change in putter seems to have helped. He is a good ball striker and seems to be refining his game on the greens.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
