Will Zalatoris is in Another Final Pairing Thanks to Patience — And a Slight Vision Adjustment
BROOKLINE, Mass. — Thirty-two days ago, Will Zalatoris could not see a pathway to leading the U.S. Open. He could not see much of anything, as it turned out: He is “super right-eye dominant,” he said, and in an attempt to give his left eye a break, he was leaning back while putting, while chipping, while driving.
After a frustrating missed cut at the AT&T Byron Nelson in late May, he and coach Josh Gregory watched video and noticed the flaw.
“It clicked immediately,” Zalatoris said on Saturday, after shooting 3 under par to bring his three-day total to 4 under. “I think, if anything, on top of the belief that I belong in these situations, I think it's also the belief that when I'm off, I'm not that far off.”
The fix was simple enough, he said. He now focuses on “just trying to make sure that I'm just looking straight down on everything as opposed to kind of looking through, like, a tunnel,” he said. He grinned and added, “I’m still working on it.”
Will Zalatoris will chase his first major, and first PGA Tour win, on Sunday at Brookline.
John David Mercer/USA Today
It’s working OK. That video session was on Wednesday. Zalatoris, 25, finished second at the PGA that Sunday, losing a playoff to Justin Thomas but notching his fifth top-10 finish at a major, including second place at last year’s Masters. He still has not won a PGA Tour event, but he said all this major contention has given him confidence. So has how quickly he fixed his game.
“When we're playing poorly, we think we're playing worse,” he said. “When we're playing well, we think we're Tiger. I think that was the biggest thing is the fact I found something literally Wednesday night, and it clicked immediately. That really made me feel that I can be one of the world-class players and one of the best in the world.”
He has shown that this week at The Country Club, during a typically challenging U.S. Open. Saturday was cold, dry and windy, and the course played nearly a stroke-and-a-half harder than it had on Thursday. (Keep in mind that that Thursday's figure includes 92 golfers who did not make the cut.) Zalatoris pronounced the conditions “brutal” and said he succeeded because “when I made a mistake, I made sure I was on the fat side of the green or having room where I could maybe at least chip one up there to eight, 10 feet. I think it took a lot of discipline today. I mean, we didn't aim at a single flag, even with some wedges, just because you really only have a foot or two to deal with on these greens … Normally guys out here when they have wedges in their hand, they're firing at pins no matter what the situation was.”
That discipline has taken some time to learn. It’s tempting to go for it. But he reminded himself that the fastest way to turn par into bogey is to try to turn it into eagle. He was the only player in the field who limited himself to one bogey on Saturday, and he has not made double bogey all week.
“We played 54 holes, and if you made 54 pars, you would be in the top 10 right now,” he said. “I know that there's obviously some pretty tough holes out here, but like on 5, I have laid up every single time. If the USGA is going to give you a wedge, take it. Don't get out of position. Don't make a mess of it. I think I've played 8 in 1 under this week, and I've yet to hit that green. I'm not disappointed with that. Take the pars, move on, knock some holes off the board.”
That mentality has helped. So has a part of his game that is not usually his strength. He is 160th on Tour in strokes gained putting, at minus–.23. But he has putted great here, picking up 5.71 strokes on the green, sixth-best in the field.
“I think speed has always been the best part of my putting, and I keep giving myself as many 25- to 35-footers that I can out here, and I think it just makes the round a little bit more stress-free,” he said, then smiled and added, “By no means is it stress-free. I should say ‘less stressful.’ Just keep getting the ball just around the hole. Even on the ‘easier’ holes this week, if you make par, just walk off and be happy with it. If you start pressing, that's where you're going to start compounding errors. You can make one mistake and maybe get away with a par out here, but you can't make two.”
If this sounds pretty wise for someone playing into the weekend at the U.S. Open for the second time, that is perhaps because Zalatoris has loved this tournament for nearly as long as he can remember. As a grade schooler, he walked by Ken Venturi’s 1964 trophy on his way to practice at the California Golf Club in San Francisco. “It’s still sitting there,” Zalatoris said on Saturday.
He can earn his own if he stays out of his head on Sunday. He said he would stay up late on Saturday so that he could sleep in on Sunday and limit how much time he had to worry. He and co-leader Matt Fitzpatrick will tee off at 2:45 p.m., which means they won’t be in until nearly 7. Zalatoris said he was looking forward to playing some “twilight golf.” He added, “I think the biggest thing for me tomorrow—obviously, there's a ton of major champions on this leaderboard, and by no means is the job done. Not even close. But just keep doing what I'm doing. Make sure I just get myself on the green as fast as I can or at least minimize the mistakes.” He is so close to that trophy. He can almost see it.
More U.S. Open Coverage From Morning Read:
> Jordan Spieth Persevering Through Illness That Came at Just the Wrong Time
> With Boston Crowds Behind Him, Keegan Bradley Ready for U.S. Open Sunday
> What to Watch in Round 4: Key Pairings, the Fan Favorite, and a Winning Course
> Scottie Scheffler Survived a Saturday Swoon at the U.S. Open, Now Sunday Beckons
> Matt Fitzpatrick Looks Ready For Major Breakthrough
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