{"id":232537,"date":"2026-04-02T23:04:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T23:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/232537\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T23:04:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T23:04:09","slug":"zalatoris-shot-off-valero-texas-open-lead-in-just-ninth-tour-round-of-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/232537\/","title":{"rendered":"Zalatoris shot off Valero Texas Open lead in just ninth Tour round of 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gone are the days of five-hour grind sessions on the range for Will Zalatoris.<\/p>\n

Three back surgeries before his 30th birthday has had him recalibrate routines for warming up and improving his game. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still 29, I still have some spunk in me,\u201d he told reporters after shooting a 5-under 67 in the opening round of the Valero Texas Open<\/a> on Thursday. \u201cBut I still feel like a 29-year-old who\u2019s had three back surgeries for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship winner is off to his best start on Tour this season, taking advantage of wind-less conditions and some early morning rain at TPC San Antonio. He sits one shot off leaders Tony Finau and Davis Thompson, tied with a half dozen other players for third.<\/p>\n

Tony Finau and Davis Thompson share the clubhouse lead following matching 66s in the first round of the Valero Texas Open.<\/p>\n

It marks Finau’s second-best score in 23 career rounds at TPC San Antonio (best: 65, 2017\/R2)<\/p>\n

For Thompson, it ties his second-lowest 18-hole score this\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) April 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The problem for Zalatoris is he\u2019s not eclipsed double digits in the number of rounds played on Tour this season. <\/p>\n

Beside the back pain, Zalatoris has been reeling from an injury to his left ankle<\/a> that has limited him to a pair of cuts at the Farmers Insurance Open in late January and last week\u2019s Texas Children\u2019s Houston Open. He finished T-18 at The American Express in Coachella Valley in his season debut. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all related to the back,\u201d he said during his post-round interview in San Antonio. \u201cIt was basically the nerve that, the sciatic nerve going down — basically from the ankle down I couldn\u2019t feel anything…<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality is that I\u2019m 10 months removed from basically having my back reconstructed,\u201d he added. \u201cIf I\u2019m complaining about just a little thing here and there, I\u2019ll still take it. The patience game is obviously brutal because it\u2019s even like a day like today, where I make eight birdies, and we\u2019re still talking about it. But that\u2019s been my last three years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zalatoris, who finished runner-up at the 2021 Masters, said the ankle and back woes pail in comparison to the mental hurdles of playing on a medical exemption this season.<\/p>\n

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Each Masters winner is presented with a green jacket. Here\u2019s how the tradition began.<\/p>\n

Even though he\u2019s from the Lone-Star State, he\u2019s opted out of this event in the past to gain a week of rest ahead of playing Augusta.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe part that\u2019s hard, too, is when you\u2019re on a major medical, you don\u2019t get to really pick your tournaments,\u201d Zalatoris explained.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s vying for the last spot in the Masters<\/a> field this week. <\/p>\n

Something the time off has made him relish the possibility of even more. <\/p>\n

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Based on qualifying criteria, here\u2019s a breakdown of those eligible to compete in the 2026 Masters Tournament.<\/p>\n

Zalatoris said there\u2019s a lot of work ahead of him this week \u2014 and in general but rounds like the one he experienced Thursday leave him believing all the possibilities are still there for his game. Green jacket included.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter everything that I\u2019ve kind of gone through, I\u2019m just glad that I\u2019m able to do this. There were a few moments that I thought I was done just considering the pain that I was in day to day,\u201d he admitted. \u201cBut the fact that I\u2019m able to come out and do this again and stripe it the way I did … it\u2019s still really encouraging. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of been a blessing too having this time off and not be able to hit balls because I think everybody knows I needed to work on my putting, and that\u2019s all I\u2019ve done for basically the last two years and how to learn to use the broomstick and it\u2019s paid off.<\/p>\n