Will Zalatoris, Playing Alongside Someone Who Knows Back Surgeries, Shoots 75 at U.S. Open

The 27-year-old Texan, paired with Tiger Woods at Pinehurst, is working his way back into form.

Will Zalatoris has had several top finishes in majors but will need to rally Friday at the U.S. Open. / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

PINEHURST, N.C. – The United States Golf Association keeps stats and figures on just about everything and everybody in the 124th U.S. Open, but may have missed one when four-time Open winner Tiger Woods and young Texas star Will Zalatoris teed off early Thursday morning at Pinehurst No. 2.

Same elite players, same back surgeon, same facility.

“Yep, same guy at the Texas Back Institute,” Zalatoris said after his opening round. “He’s done plenty of work.”

Woods went first in 2017 with two back surgeries in Zalatoris’s home town of Plano, just north of Dallas, issuing a press release afterward praising the work of Dr. Richard Guyer for his surgery. Zalatoris had his surgery there in 2023.

Tiger came back to win the 2019 Masters after his surgery. Zalatoris, who was out almost all of 2023, recorded a top 10 in this year’s Masters, his seventh top 10 in a major. He was also T2 earlier this year at the Genesis Invitational, which Woods hosts.

For those keeping records Thursday, it was back surgery Woods finishing at 4-over-par 74, back surgery Zalatoris at 75. Matt Fitzpatrick, who has not had a back surgery at Texas Back Institute or anywhere else, completed the threesome and had the low score with a 3-over 73.

“We really didn’t have time to talk about our surgeries, but we have in the past. We were too busy trying to grind out pars at the U.S. Open. We didn’t have time to talk about how crippled we are,” Zalatoris said with a quick laugh.

Regardless of the first round results on a steamy morning and the expected “how is the back feeling?” questions following his round, Zalatoris said he was just happy to be back in the game this year, even with his fellow North Texas back surgery veteran walking side by side.

“I just got bored being at home all the time. There was only so many books I could read and shows I could binge with my wife. She has to rescue me several times,” he said.

“I’m fine with people welcoming me here or asking about my back. At least that means I’m playing out here again.”

But even with success earlier this season, the 27-year-old has been taking things easy when it comes to his playing and practice schedule.

He skipped both his hometown PGA Tour events, in Dallas and Fort Worth, to avoid put too much pressure on his repaired back and playing too many weeks in a row, a move his agent Mike Chism called purely precautionary.

He played both the Wells Fargo and PGA Championship last month, the Memorial last week and now the U.S. Open, but skipped the RBC Canadian Open to prepare for this two-week stretch. He said he is unclear about his future schedule except for the British Open next month at Royal Troon in Scotland.

“My back feels good, it does. It felt fine today,” Zalatoris said.

His game for the second round and possibly the weekend could be another matter. Zalatoris said he felt he short-sided himself too much around Pinehurst No. 2 and put too much pressure on his short game. He was tied for 131st Thursday afternoon.

“There were 7-8 times I just hit the wrong side of the green and couldn’t get up and down,” he said. “But I think I’ll be fine because I excel on hard golf courses. That’s my secret in the majors. The harder the courses the better. 

“People talking about the greens in Augusta being slick, but these out here are like plus-10.”

In just three Masters appearances, Zalatoris has turned in a second place plus a T6 and T9. At the PGA Championship, he has a T8 and a second. His U.S. Open history includes T6 and T2.

The message being, don’t count Zalatoris and his fellow back buddy Woods out for making the cut. They’ll play together again Friday afternoon.

“Bottom line, this is a really hard golf course, but the way I drive the ball, I’m always going to give myself a lot of chances for success,” he said.

It could be a stretch, which he does plenty of, to say Zalatoris is fully back, but he said he’s ready for a weekend recovery.