Around six months after undergoing back surgery for the second time in his young career, Will Zalatoris is ready to play professional golf again.
Zalatoris, who finished T18th at the same event 12 months ago, is among the five-man list to receive an invite into the exclusive event alongside Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Garrick Higgo, Christo Lamprecht and Yurav Premlall.
Held at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa, the Nedbank Golf Challenge sees a 66-man field duke it out across four days for the lion’s share of a $6 million prize money payout.
Other notable names at the no-cut tournament include Viktor Hovland, Tom McKibbin, Marco Penge, Nick Taylor and Thomas Detry.
However, each of those names have played far more frequently and recently than Zalatoris, who has suffered an extremely frustrating stretch due to injuries over the past few years.
Off the back of six top-10 finishes at Majors between 2020 and 2022 – three of which were second places – the Wake Forest University alumnus suffered two herniated discs in his back during the 2022 BMW Championship.
The former World No.7 chose not to go under the knife at the time but was left with no choice in April 2023 after being forced to withdraw from The Masters.
He then returned at the 2023 Hero World Challenge but struggled in Albany and finished last of the 20-man field.
However, Zalatoris suggested that result was just rust as the San Francisco-born pro battled to finish runner-up at the 2025 Genesis Invitational. The following month, he was T4th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Yet, another Masters top-10 was as good as it got for Zalatoris throughout 2024. Aside from consecutive top-15 finishes in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the 29-year-old was struggling to replicate his earlier form.
Possibly helped by a T18th at the Nedbank this time last year, Zalatoris was able to register four top-25s in six starts to begin 2025 and it appeared as though he could start rebuilding his career again.
But it was not to be as Zalatoris went on to miss the cut at the 2025 PGA Championship and revealed he had re-herniated two discs in his back.
Following successful surgery, the current World No.200 confirmed rehabilitation was progressing steadily and he was hoping to return to action in the fall.
Part of his rehabilitation was appearing in the invitation-only Nexus Cup at Liberty National, an event which benefits Tiger Woods’ TGR Foundation. Zalatoris posted on Instagram at the time, sharing photos of him playing golf and appearing alongside Woods.
Then, speaking at the PGA Tour Champions’ Simmons Bank Championship midway through October, Zalatoris shared he was feeling good and excited to begin playing competitively again.
“It’s been a long grind, don’t get me wrong, but this is the most positive I’ve felt in three years. I feel like the nightmare of three years of back pain is kind of gone now, finally. I’m finally able to be a 29-year-old kid and go to work.”
Finally, Zalatoris will be hoping his injury troubles are truly behind him and he can begin his ascent from 200th in the world back towards the very top once the action starts in South Africa on Thursday.