Kapalua, Hawaii — Will Zaratris has been out of competition for over four months due to a back injury. That gave him plenty of time to reflect on his close year that culminated in his first victory, and to learn about how his body works.
“Probably more than I could have ever hoped for,” Zaratris said at the Tournament of Champions earlier this year.
Zaratris lost in the PGA Championship playoffs to Justin Thomas and narrowly missed a birdie putt on the final hole at Brookline, forcing a playoff match against US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick. He then won his first FedEx Cup his playoff his event and won his 3-hole playoff without making a birdie. He only played two rounds in the BMW Championship when he hurt his back.
Zaratris said he spent time with Greg Rose at the Titleist Performance Institute to analyze how he could move forward with his career.
“We basically did a holistic assessment to see where we were. I think it was with longevity in mind, not anything else.
Zaratris led the PGA Tour on his approach to the green last year, so the thought of change put him on pause.
“But I think the big thing for me is that I spent a lot of time understanding the pressure of the golf swing and figuring out how to push my right side out. The right hip rises and the spine tilts back.
“And of course, as Dr. Rose said.” No wonder there were back issues. “
He said he was lucky the fix had to do with movement patterns and not a structural issue. It took him 12 weeks to recover, and he resumed hitting the ball again in early December.
Zaratris said his swing has become more efficient and he hasn’t lost any speed. Now it’s time to get rid of the rust.
Thursday’s tee-off will be the first game in 138 days.
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