As Will Zalatoris edges his way back to full fitness, the American hasn't been seen in a competitive environment since a practice round at the Masters in April 2023, an event he would actually withdraw from with injury before the tournament had even begun.
Obviously, with so much time off as he recovers from back surgery, it's important to keep the mind ticking over and, in the case of Zalatoris, that's exactly what he has been doing, with the 26-year-old revealing that he has been completing a degree at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.
"I'm graduating right now, finishing up my degree from Wake Forest," Zalatoris explained on the "Chris Vernon Show". "Now, I'm starting to be able to do stuff, it's great. Because the first eight weeks where I wasn't able to do anything... I ordered every book I could possibly find and I'm not much of a reader. I'm like signing up for classes. I'm finding stuff to do just because I knew I was going to go insane."
Giving an update on his injury, Zalatoris revealed, whilst attending Wimbledon, that he is able to start chipping, with the American eyeing a potential return in October, which just so happens to be around the beginning of the 2023-24 PGA Tour season.
During the call with Vernon, Zalatoris went on to add: "I'm mentally very fresh, I'm really looking forward to coming back. I think the last six months have been really good for me to kind of — really the last year, kind of grow and mature as a man and professional."
Injury problems have unfortunately plagued the 26-year-old's career, with Zalatoris withdrawing from the 2022 BMW Championship and season-ending Tour Championship following his FedEx St. Jude Championship victory.
He did recover and play seven tournaments in 2023 but was forced to withdraw from The Masters at the last minute due to injury. Not long after the withdrawal, he produced a statement claiming he had undergone surgery and would be out for many months.
