The CJ Cup Byron Nelson is set to begin on 2nd May 2024 in Texas. Among the top contenders in the field, Will Zalatoris was one of them. However, he suffered a back injury towards the end of the 2022 season, which made him withdraw from the Masters last year. He had to undergo surgery in less than 48 hours and had gone through a long recovery process, until the Hero World Challenge in December.

But his pain caught up to him, as just a few hours away from the championship, he announced his withdrawal from the CJ Cup. “I am frustrated to miss a tournament I’ve enjoyed going to since I was nine years old,” wrote the 1X PGA Tour champion. Coming across his story, veteran golfer, Rocco Mediate, who went through a somewhat similar phase, empathized with him but also sent him a strong message.

Rocco Mediate advises Will Zalatoris to fix his swing

Rocco Mediate, became the first player to win on the PGA Tour using a long putter in 1991 at the Doral-Ryder Open, a switch he made due to his back injury. He was later diagnosed with a ruptured disk and had to undergo back surgery in 1999 just like Will Zalatoris, losing 5 years of his professional career. Even after several years, he still believes that he has “physical failures in the golf swing.” Taking to Will Zalatoris’ condition, he spoke about how beautiful his golf swing is on his show ‘The Rocco Hour.’

However, using his own experience, he strictly suggested that if the back pain is returning even after the surgery, it means there is something wrong with the current swing that Zalatoris is using for his gameplay. That, according to him is what causing the distress. He said, “This shouldn’t happen. But the only way it happens is if something’s going on in the golf swing, it’s causing that tweak.”

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Will Zalatoris’ swing when analyzed, has too much side bend, due to his flexibility, which causes his lower body to go aggressively forward as his upper body hangs back. In case of such an excess level of side bending, the L4 and L5 discs in the lower spine are compressed and crunched. This causes unimaginable pain in the back, and that is supposedly what has been bugging him, thus the advice of changing the swing or at least working on it comes from Rocco Mediate.

Whatever the reason behind the withdrawal, the agony and pain of Will Zalatoris having to withdraw from yet another tournament because of his back pain at the last moment is beyond just physical pain. Nonetheless, one must pay heed to what the body signals!

Will Zalatoris is looking forward to the 2025 CJ Cup

Will Zalatoris made his debut at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson in 2016, at the age of 27, while still a college student at Wake Forest. He has played the championship four times securing the T17 position in 2021. But, he has missed the cut all the other three times, and this year, he had his eye on the trophy. However, he once again had to withdraw. He even wrote, “I hope to win Mr. Nelson’s trophy someday.”

Despite his disappointment, he has to currently focus on his back and prioritize his health for a long-term game plan. Stating that this is his favorite week of the year, indicating his love for the championship, he said that he knew something like this might come up when he made his comeback. And well, prevention is always better than cure!

“Look forward to going after the trophy again in 2025. All the best and look forward to seeing everyone very soon,” concluded Will Zalatoris, with a heavy heart.