Will Zalatoris has withdrawn ahead of the first round of the 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches.
There was not a reason given for Zalatoris’ WD. He was slated to tee off alongside Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger at 12:23 p.m. ET Thursday at PGA National. His spot in the field went to Ben Silverman.
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Zalatoris was scheduled to make his first start since the Farmers Insurance Open, where he missed the cut. In his only other start in 2026, he tied for 18th at the American Express.
Will Zalatoris plays a shot from the second tee during the second round of the 2026 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines South Course.
Zalatoris has undergone numerous back surgeries over the last three years, starting in April 2023 and concluding last May after another procedure following a MC at the PGA Championship.
Earlier this week, he said he was playing pain-free for the first time in a long, long time.
“I think the part that’s fun about this now is the three years of kind of going through all this is over,” he said. “The sciatica, the leg weakness, like I haven’t had any of that.
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“The difference now is that I can do the things that I’ve needed to do. Physically, I wasn’t capable of doing those things. And so there would even be times where I’d play a couple of weeks and I’d have to take a full week off.”
But as of now, Zalatoris’ third Tour start of 2026 will have to wait.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Will Zalatoris withdraws ahead of 2026 Cognizant Classic