This time last year the inform Will Zalatoris was one many believed could challenge for the green jacket, but his dream of glory went up in smoke during practice when his back went.
He’d been battling the problem for a while and did not want to go under the knife. Though on the range at Augusta National last year he knew the pain was different and more serious as this time it went down his legs.
After flying back home to have an MRI scan it showed a herniated disc was pushing on his spinal nerves and he would be out of action for at least the rest of the season.
This was the same issue Tiger had battled back from and the 15-time Major champion got in touch with Zalatoris to offer support and guide him through the recovery stages. Though Will was taken back when Tiger first called.
“It was more, hey, how you feeling? You feel this? You feel that? The patience game is hard,” Zalatoris commented. “Obviously, he had gone through way more than what I had gone through. Having the same surgeons, the same team, just having the same conversations.”
Once Zalatoris was able to hit balls Woods remained in contact to guide him through the next stage.
“I talked to him a little bit about my golf swing,” Zalatoris said. “At the time I was still having some residuals, but really after about seven months is when I felt literally 100%. It’s just been a lot of understanding the process and realizing that even if a doctor tells you 12 weeks – and we’re trying to win and compete at the highest level – it’s technically longer.
“Having the exact same injury, it’s funny because it’s not so much the questions that I’ve asked and him giving the answers, it’s been more the thought-provoking questions that he’s given to me that has really been the stuff that’s got me back to where I am now.”
It’s hard to believe 12 months on Zalatoris is back to his physical best and ready to take on the world’s best. Just imagine if he topped the leaderboard on Sunday. what a comeback story. Maybe Happy Gilmore2 might not need a script writing.
