During the third round of the BMW Championship last week, Will Zalatoris suffered an injury on the third hole. After a short visit from the PGA Tour physio, which included various stretches, Zalatoris decided to withdraw.
Not long after leaving the course, his agent released a statement that ended with “Will looks forward to playing next week in Atlanta.”
That is no longer happening.
World No. 9 has withdrawn from the Tour Championship and a chance to win the FedEx Cup and $18 million. He was in prime position to do so, sitting at No. 3 and set to start a 7 under, just three shots behind Scottie Scheffler.
On top of missing the event at East Lake, Zalatoris will not play in next month’s Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Club.
The injury is now being classified as two herniated disks.
Will Zalatoris is a WD from the TOUR Championship with a back injury. pic.twitter.com/HlC5pDsJWX
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) August 23, 2022
Zalatoris wasn’t one of the six automatic qualifiers for the United States team, but he’s currently No. 7 in the standings and was expected to be one of Captain Davis Love III’s six captains picks.