Zalatoris missed most of the 2023 season due to a back injury, but during that time, he changed his putting stroke for the better.
Two years ago, Will Zalatoris ranked 107th on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained Putting, despite finishing runner-up in two majors that year.
He sorely struggled with the flat stick, often jabbing his putter uncomfortably on putts inside of 10 feet. But somehow, he managed to contend at the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open, losing to Justin Thomas and Matt Fitzpatrick by mere inches. He even won the FedEx St. Jude Championship in a playoff that summer over Sepp Straka.
Then, last year, a back surgery sidelined Zalatoris for eight months following the Masters. But that time away allowed Zalatoris to reflect and tinker with his putting.
“After one of my surgeries, I was going to be in the hospital for a couple of days, so I was just looking around,” Zalatoris said after signing for a third round 6-under 65 at the Genesis Invitational.
“It was right around the time that Lucas [Glover] was going on a tear. I had already ordered an arm lock from him, and they ended up sending me a couple of broomsticks.”
Last August, Glover won back-to-back events with a broomstick putter. And much like Zalatoris, Glover struggled with his putter throughout his career.
“I had five months before I could hit balls,” Zalatoris continued.
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Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
“Just being able to go out and screw around with it, it probably took three to four months to kind of figure out the blueprint for it. It’s just so simple. I get my setup correct, make sure my eyes are over the ball, and rock the shoulders. Something that simple is really good.”
During that time, Zalatoris tried different head weights and lengths, tinkering with many options to figure out what worked best. He explained how some days were terrible, while others were better, based on the equipment he selected.
But all of that tinkering has paid off. So has the simplicity of his broomstick putting stroke, which has yielded dividends for Zalatoris this week at Riviera Country Club.
Through three rounds at the Genesis Invitational, Zalatoris ranks seventh in strokes gained putting. He enters Sunday’s final round two strokes behind Patrick Cantlay, who leads at 14-under.
Many players, including Tiger Woods and Cantlay, have said that this is the fastest they have ever seen Riviera’s poa annua greens.
They have been challenging but pure. And yet, Zalatoris feels that the biggest adjustment with his new stroke is becoming used to the speed of fast greens.
“Putting on really, really fast greens, the ball’s going to shoot off the face pretty hard, especially putting with that heavy of a head,” Zalatoris said.
“I feel like maybe before, if I had a putt that was two feet downhill, I might be looking closer to four now just to be comfortable with it, and I can be more confident with the stroke.”
His confidence in his putting has undoubtedly improved since 2022. Perhaps that confidence boost translates into a win at Riviera, marking his second career PGA Tour victory.
He will need to catch up to Cantlay, but if his putter stays as hot as it has, that tall task will become much more straightforward—just like his new stroke.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
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