Will Zalatoris will miss the entire 2027 season: Back surgery in late November

Will Zalatoris will miss the entire 2027 PGA Tour season. The 30-year-old American announced Wednesday at the Austin Championship’s Media Day that he will undergo spinal fusion surgery in Dallas in late November to address persistent back problems.

“I’ve been through hell for four years, so it’s good that there’s something that will hopefully fix it,” Zalatoris said, according to Golf.com. He said the decision wasn’t an easy one, but three Tour physical therapists made it clear to him that the procedure would eventually be necessary. “You don’t want to do it, but when three Tour physical therapists tell you it has to be done at some point, you just go through with it.”

Return to the PGA Tour Planned for 2028

Zalatoris has been hampered by injuries for years. After back surgery in 2025, he had to take a break in the spring of 2026 due to a labral tear. He re-injured his back at the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio in April and has not competed in a tournament since. This season, he played in four tournaments and made the cut in two of them. This is his third major back surgery since 2023.

Before the surgery, Zalatoris will still compete in the Austin Championship from November 12–15 at the Omni Barton Creek Resort. He plans to make his return in 2028 via the Challenger Series. “It looks like I might be able to come back in 2028 and play on the Challenger Series if everything goes as it should,” he said.

The professional golfer was once considered a rising star. He was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 2021 and finished second at both the 2021 Masters and the 2022 PGA Championship. He celebrated his only Tour victory in 2022 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Zalatoris is currently ranked 610th in the Official World Golf Ranking. His highest ranking was 7th.