Despite Not Winning The Arnold Palmer Invitational, Will Zalatoris Earns A Spot At The Open Championship 2024

Will Zalatoris may have fallen short of lifting his second PGA Tour title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, yet he still earned a spot in The Open Championship 2024. The fourth signature event is part of The Open Qualifying Series and offers a spot to the top finisher at the last major of the season. However, the top three finishers at Bay Hills, Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, and Shane Lowry, already had exemptions to play at Royal Troon this year. So, the spot went to the tied fourth-ranked Zalatoris.

After earning the exemption at the Royal Troon, Zalatoris spoke in the post-round press conference and expressed his happiness about the same. The 27-year-old American said,

“I love it … I love the challenge… The Open Championship, it’s just special, no matter where it is” Zalatoris also said, “I embrace hard, hard golf courses, so I’m hoping for some rich Scottish weather when we get over there.”

If the 27-year-old American manages to earn a spot at The open Championship 2024 through different criteria, the Bay Hills exemption goes to the next top-ranked player. For example, if Zalatoris were to earn an exemption through the top 50 on the OWGR, the exemption would be tied for sixth-ranked Sahith Theegala.

Well, even Brendon Todd finished tied for sixth rank at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. But Theegala is the higher OWGR-ranked player, hence, he won the tiebreaker. And if Theegala too receives an invite through ranking inside the top 50 on the OWGR, then the Bay Hills exemption goes to Brendon Todd.

How Much Did Will Zalatoris Earn At The Arnold Palmer Invitational?

The 27-year-old American may have missed out on winning his second PGA Tour title at Bay Hills, but he still earned a hefty amount for finishing at T4 rank on the leaderboard. Both the tied fourth players, Will Zalatoris and Russell Hendey, received a paycheck worth $920,000.

Zalatoris shot 69-69-71-72 in four rounds and had an aggregate score of 7 under par by the end of Sunday’s play. In total, his scorecard at the fourth PGA Tour signature event consisted of an eagle, 14 birdies, five bogeys, and a double bogey.

After earning an invite to The Open Championship 2024 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Will Zalatoris is now eligible to play at all four majors of the 2024 season. This is a great thing for the American golfer as he used to play his collegiate-level golf at Wake Forest via the Arnold Palmer Scholarship.

About the author

Kunal Singh

Kunal is a golf journalist for The SportsRush. He is an avid golf fan with a huge inclination towards Rory McIlroy's drive and Phil Mickelson's short game. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and is currently pursuing a MBA in Media Management. Before joining The SportsRush, he has already penned over 1300 articles. If not covering stories on golf, you can find him brainstorming various fiction stories, composing music, and playing snooker.

Read More