Will Zalatoris Eyes Return to PGA Tour in 2026 After 'Nightmare of Three Years'

The 29-year-old provided an update on his health after undergoing his second back surgery since 2023 earlier this year.

Will Zalatoris eyes a return to the PGA Tour in 2026 after back surgery in May. / Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Will Zalatoris has apparently reached the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Following a series of back surgeries, the 29-year-old eyes a return to competition on the PGA Tour in 2026. 

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"I'm already back playing, I’m grinding every day," Zalatoris told the PGA Tour at the senior tour’s Simmons Bank Championship. "Trying to get in at least 18 [every day]. It’s been a long grind, don’t get me wrong, but this is the most positive I’ve felt in three years.”

Why was he taking in a PGA Tour Champions event?

“I am getting a lot of advice this week on the PGA Tour Champions since there are a lot of guys with a lot of mileage on their bodies,” Zalatoris said, “so I am definitely taking some notes this week.”

After undergoing back surgery in May, Will Zalatoris is optimistic about his eventual return to competition.

Zalatoris visited the @ChampionsTour @SBGolfChamp this week and offered an update ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Hq4gUpRfXj

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 23, 2025

Between 2020 and '22, Zalatoris had six top 10s in majors and earned his maiden Tour title at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August 2022. A week later, however, he suffered two herniated disks in his back and missed the rest of the year. 

With lingering effects from the injury, he opted for surgery in April 2022 and has since made only 41 starts, with the ailment never fully subsiding. So four months ago, he went under the knife again, addressing another two herniated disks in his back. His last start was the PGA Championship, where he missed the cut.

Now, feeling fully healthy for the first time in nearly three years, the world No. 160 looks forward to showing the promise he flashed in his first few years on Tour. 

“I feel like the nightmare of three years of back pain is kind of gone now, finally,” he said.