There was a relatively unknown aspect to Will Zalatoris’s sports career before last year’s Master’s. At the time, he had his best performance of the past three years, finishing runner-up and one stroke short of a green jacket victory over Hideki Matsuyama.
Will Zalatoris Rapid Rise From Anonymity to Masters Contender, The following year, he finished the PGA Championship at Kiawah in a tie for eighth place, which led Zalatoris to be named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for the 2020–21 season. At the moment, the 25-year-old is ranked 29th in the Official World Golf Ranking as well as 22nd in the current FedEx Cup standings.
In the eight months since the calendar turned to 2022, he has posted three top-six finishes on the Tour, but his first triumph remains elusive.
In conjunction with IBM and in celebration of the company’s 25 years of sponsoring the tournament, Zalatoris has teamed up with them for the 25th consecutive year. By incorporating the Master’s Fantasy Game into the Master’s App, IBM provides insights to players, as well as fans.
During a tee time interview, FOS sat down with Zalatoris, who talked about his rise to fame and how he plans on improving at the Masters this year along with the involvement of his PGA and school in the movement.
Is it true that you were a pro golfer before you even knew that you could make a career in the profession?
During my junior golf career, I had the pleasure of playing a lot of golf with Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth. They were both very good and talented golfers. Having qualified for the United States Junior when I was 12, the US Junior Championships were won by Jordan when he was 15, and I saw Jordan qualify for the U.S. championships at the age of 15 as well. Seeing my fellow athletes succeed greatly influenced me.
Although I knew I was going to play professional golf all my life, I only really realized I would be able to do the stuff I’m doing today once I was selected for a Walker Cup team and was able to compete with the best players in the world. My life was turned around by that experience, and it was one of the most significant turning points in my life.
I knew if we continued to do things the same way we have been doing them, and I am so fortunate that Scottie and I have played together since we were nine, that we would be here today if we kept on going in the direction we are. I have been looking forward to this for quite some time now. In my opinion, it’s always a lot of fun to have a group of friends out there with you when you’re doing it. At every level of golf, from juniors to professional golfers, we have pushed each other to be the best we can be. Hopefully, that trend will continue.
Would you like to tell me something about being a part of this huge wave of young talent on the Tour right now?
In my opinion, looking at things from the outside, I think that a lot of people think, “Man, this is great.” “They’re doing it this young.” And I think Tiger [Woods] deserves a lot of blame for that. Since Tiger has dominated from the age of 21 to when he won the Masters’s at the age of 40, we have witnessed Tiger’s dominance over time. The fact that he came out at such a young age and was able to dominate the Masters at such a young age really acted as a benchmark for us.
My first attempt at running for office took place last year as well. Jordan has performed well there consistently over the years. Witnessing someone you grew up with who has achieved success at the highest level only strengthens your belief that you can, too.
You finished second in the first three rounds of your first career Masters’s start. I was wondering how you were able to maintain your composure under such pressure?
In the end, I find the funniest part to be when people ask me, “Oh, my god, how did you handle that pressure? How did you handle it?” and I reply, “I have nothing to lose.” There is a saying that says, “Your life goal is to become the world’s best golfer.” It’s usually the Masters when kids pretend to make a putt to win a tournament.
As I was putting myself in that scenario last year, I thought to myself, “I have already accomplished what I set out to do.”. Then why would I not do the same thing this year? After all, I was five to six back, so as soon as I hit my shots, I was in the lead. The simple fact is that it was that easy. For me, there is no risk involved. What I simply wish to do is to become the best player in the nation. Being the second-best means being the 30th best.
Early in the week, as well as I could, I tried to enjoy the moment as much as possible before getting back to work. For me, it didn’t matter as much – and it doesn’t matter as much anymore – whether I was second or last after making a cut, or what have you. My job is to pass on the job to my buddies so I can achieve the goal. And so, I think that attitude can actually be very liberating to me.
Which aspect of Augusta National appeals to your strengths?
I think it applies to all golf courses that have tough greens in general. Of course, everyone talks about how tough the greens are and how fast and undulating they are, but hitting them at the right times and giving yourself the best opportunity is what makes it so much easier.
A great ball striker gains an advantage by learning where he or she can and cannot miss, depending on the pin location. So the fact that I am a very good ball-striker, I’m going to have Ball-strikers with better looks tend to score more often. There’s nothing particularly wrong with proximity, it’s just that I missed it at the right places.
It was essential to me that I tried to give myself as many books as I could last year. After a few days of getting hot, my putter started to shine. Keeping a close eye on myself from the middle of the fairway is really important in order to ensure I don’t stymie myself.
How old is zalatoris Masters?
At the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year, this 25-year-old rising star came close to winning. PGA Tour winners have notched eight first-time victories this season. If he wins in the near future, he would continue a trend.
How many green jackets has Tiger won?
Despite only having five wins to Nicklaus’s six, Woods is just behind him, the first coming in 1997 and the most recent coming in 2019. Other than Arnold Palmer, the only other golfer who has won four of the green jackets is Fred Couples.
What are the odds of Tiger making the cut at the Masters?
It has been reported that FOX Bet has Tiger Woods’ odds to make the weekend listed at +100 and his odds of leaking out are now at -133. If you’re interested in more ways to bet on Woods, who is continuing his quest to catch six-time Masters champion Jack Nicklaus, Fox Bet is also offering boosted betting on Tiger Watson.
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