Will Zalatoris, who finished in the top 10 of three of four majors last season and pulled out of the Masters just before the start of this year’s event, will miss the rest of the golf season after having a procedure on his back, he said Monday.
“After careful consideration and seeking multiple medical opinions, I underwent a successful microdiscetomy on Saturday,” Zalatoris said in a statement posted to Instagram. “As much as I hate not being able to play the rest of this season, I am happy that I am already seeing the benefits of the procedure.
“Playing and living in pain is not fun. I look forward to making a full recovery and seeing everyone in the fall.”
The 26-year-old Zalatoris, who is ranked eighth in the world, has been battling a back injury for the past several months. He was forced to pull out of the FedEx Cup playoffs after injuring his back in the second round of the BMW Championship in August, a week after he picked up his first PGA Tour victory in a playoff at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
He missed the season-ending Tour Championship but had returned to action at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January. He finished fourth at the Genesis in February.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach contributed to this report.