Eight birdies in one round would usually end any doubts. For Will Zalatoris, though, it brought up more questions. After shooting a 67 in the first round of the Valero Texas Open, the 29-year-old explained to reporters that his February withdrawal from the Cognizant Classic wasn’t really about his ankle, as many thought. The real issue was something else.

“It’s all related to the back,” Zalatoris said during the post-game press conference at the Valero Texas Open. “It was basically the nerve, the sciatic nerve going down; basically, from the ankle down, I couldn’t feel anything.”

The sciatic nerve runs from the lower back down the leg, and when a disc is damaged, it can cause pain anywhere along that path. After the 2025 PGA Championship, Zalatoris had artificial disc replacement surgery to fix two herniated discs at the L4-L5 and L5-S1 levels. It was his second major back surgery in two years. He had already missed eight months after a microdiscectomy in April 2023. His withdrawal from the Cognizant Classic was due to these ongoing issues.

“Basically, you know, the reality is that I’m 10 months removed from basically having my back reconstructed. If I’m complaining about just a little thing here and there, I’ll still take it.”

The 2025 surgery increased the disc height in both spots from just three or four millimeters to eleven, and for the first time in four years, Zalatoris said he had no sciatica. After fifteen weeks, his surgeon cleared him to play without restrictions. However, being cleared does not equate to feeling ready. Zalatoris, who needs 255 FedExCup points on a major medical extension, has to be careful. Since coming back from South Africa, he has played only eight PGA Tour rounds.

“The patience game is obviously brutal because it’s even like a day like today, where I make eight birdies, and we’re still talking about it. But that’s been my last three years.”

Having three back surgeries before turning 30 has changed what Zalatoris considers a good day. Now, just feeling healthy is a win. The physical challenges have also made him rethink how he prepares for tournaments.

“My days of five-hour grind sessions on the range are over. I’m still 29; I still have some spunk in me, but I still feel like a 29-year-old who’s had three back surgeries for sure.”

This change in how he prepares puts Zalatoris among many players who have had to rebuild their connection to golf after back injuries.

Will Zalatoris is rebuilding his game the same way Tiger Woods had to

The comparison is not forced. Zalatoris himself pointed to it. He has worked to eliminate excess side bend in his downswing, using Patrick Cantlay and Tiger Woods as models. Both players have dealt with spinal reconstruction.

After his 2017 spinal fusion at L5-S1, Woods changed his goal. He no longer aimed for dominance but focused on regaining basic functionality. That shift carried him to the 2019 Masters. Woods returned to competition ten months after surgery. Zalatoris is following a similar timeline, but he also faces the pressure of a medical extension clock during his recovery.

Earlier, Zalatoris described his 2023 microdiscectomy as the ‘frugal route.’ It was a cleanup procedure, expected to last between two and eight years before the problem might return. In his case, it resurfaced in just eighteen months. The disc replacement that followed was a different decision, aimed at long-term stability instead of short-term relief. The next 14 starts will show if his body can hold up for a full season.

Zalatoris is currently ranked No. 299 in the world and is not in the Masters field. A win at TPC San Antonio this week would change that. In three appearances at Augusta, he has never finished outside the top 10. This shows how well his ball-striking fits the course. On Thursday, his ball-striking was still strong. His body held up for at least one morning in San Antonio.