Will Zalatoris has withdrawn from the 2022 Tour Championship due to the same back injury which forced him out of last week's BMW Championship. The diagnosis appears to be more severe than initially thought as the pain has been pinpointed to two herniated discs in his back and will also force Zalatoris to forgo the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Club in September.
"After Will's withdrawal from the BMW Championship on Saturday, his medical team determined that the source of his back pain is two herniated discs," Zalatoris' agent said in a statement. "Unfortunately, this means that Will is unable to play this week at the Tour Championship. He is also very disappointed that he will not have the opportunity to play in next month's Presidents Cup, where he was hoping to play for Captain Love and represent the United States. Will would like to thank his fans, sponsors, the Tour, and his team for all of their support. He is fully focused on getting healthy and back onto the course as soon as he is able."
Zalatoris was set to begin the Tour Championship at 7 under and three strokes behind leader Scottie Scheffler. After breaking through in dramatic fashion for his first career PGA Tour title at the St. Jude Championship, Zalatoris ascended to the top spot in the FedEx Cup standings before his back injury reared its ugly head in the third round of the BMW Championship.
As a result of his withdrawal from the Tour Championship, Zalatoris will be awarded the 30th-place prize money of $500,000 if all 29 players complete 72 holes at East Lake -- if someone else is to pull out, that will change. From the perspective of starting strokes, the rest of the field will not be affected and will remain the same.
Zalatoris narrowly missed out on earning an automatic qualifying spot for the United States Presidents Cup Team as he finished seventh in the team standings. It was all but certain that captain Davis Love III would use one of his six selections on the Wake Forest product and allow Zalatoris to experience his first team event as a professional.
Unfortunately for Zalatoris, this back injury will prove to be quite costly. With the top 10 finishers at the Tour Championship banking seven figures, not only will he miss out on a big payday, but more meaningfully it also means he will not be able to compete alongside his fellow countrymen in Charlotte.
