Will Zalatoris broke down in tears and wailed about the loss of a close family member at the Genesis Invitational presser. The golfer finished tied for second rank at the third PGA Tour signature event. The 27-year-old was out of the golf course due to a back injury before coming back earlier in November 2023. He was proud of his performance that saw a hole-in-one but in the back of his mind, the news of the ‘unexpected’ loss was unsettling.
The American golfer revealed that he was heading back to the North West to join his family. As Zalatoris joined the press conference, he expressed how holding up his feelings was tough before breaking up in tears at the presser.
Will Zalatoris reveals his emotions after the loss of a family member
As Zalatoris unraveled his feelings at the Genesis Invitational press conference, he said,
“I didn’t say anything all week, but I – sorry…I lost a family member on Thursday and she was…all week. It was very unexpected. This whole week was for her. My family can’t be here no matter what would have happened, but very proud of how I played.”
Added to that, he continued, “Just shows you life’s short and appreciate the moments, how lucky I am to be out here. Every week I’ve been getting better, so I knew I just got to keep doing what I’m doing.”
Bigger than golf.
@WillZalatoris was playing with a heavy heart after losing a family member earlier in the week.“She was with me all week.” pic.twitter.com/9LC3rpyQpS
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 18, 2024
This was the athlete’s best finish after starting his season with a missed cut and landing up T34 and T13 in the next two events. He was a runner-up at the 2021 Masters and also at the 2022 PGA Championship and US Open. But Zalatoris doesn’t want to land in second place next time and is targeting the upcoming events for better outcomes.
At one point on Sunday at the Genesis Invitational, Will Zalatoris was leading the leaderboard. Thus, the golfer has confidence in his club, and in the coming days, he will make progress. His last round saw four birdies over the eighteen holes as he finished with a 2 under 69 score on Sunday.
