Will Zalatoris forced to withdraw in Rocket Mortgage Classic

Will Zalatoris withdrew from the Rocket Mortgage Classic after eight holes in the third round due to a reported hip injury. The 27-year-old golfer, who was four under par for the tournament at Detroit Golf Club, experienced a double-bogey on the seventh hole and followed it with a birdie on the par-3 eighth. However, after the eighth hole, he shook hands with his playing partners, Nick Dunlap and Dylan Wu, and headed to the clubhouse.

CBS analyst Amanda Balionis reported that Zalatoris mentioned feeling a “pop” in his hip, and noted that it was on his “good side.” This is significant for Zalatoris, who underwent a microdiscectomy in April 2023 for herniated disks in his back. Despite the initial report of a hip injury, PGA Tour Communications later clarified on X that Zalatoris withdrew due to a back injury.

Zalatoris had been playing for the fourth consecutive week, having competed in the Memorial, U.S. Open, and Travelers tournaments prior to the Rocket Mortgage Classic. His only PGA Tour victory came at the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship. After sitting out the rest of 2023 to recover from his surgery, Zalatoris has participated in 15 events this season. He has made the cut in 11 of those events, and despite a strong start to the season that included a tie for ninth place in the Masters, he has not finished inside the top 40 in his last eight starts.