Absent PGA Tour star to comeback, return date set for December

PGA Tour fans have missed watching 15x Major winner Tiger Woods in action. While Woods competed in the TMRW Golf League earlier this year, the 49-year-old has been away from the PGA Tour due to issues with his back that required surgery.

While Woods has been away from the traditional format of golf for quite some time, it must be noted that he is not the only golfer away from the sport. Like Woods, Will Zalatoris is also a golfer who hasn't competed in a while, as he underwent back surgery earlier this year.

However, it seems like Zalatoris is recovering well because the PGA Tour star is ready to come back, and a return date has been set. On X (formerly Twitter), NUCLR Golf shared a tweet in which they mentioned Zalatoris has committed to the DP World Tour's Nedbank Golf Challenge.

This event will take place at the Gary Player Country Club in South Africa in December. The tweet from NUCLR Golf read:

"🚨🏌️🔜 #NEW — Will Zalatoris has committed to the Nedbank Golf Challenge in December. This will be his first start since undergoing surgery for herniated discs back in May. @ZalatorisLegion"

You can check NUCLR Golf's tweet below:

The last event Will Zalatoris played before his surgery was the PGA Championship. In this tournament, Zalatoris struggled in the first two rounds, scoring 72-76, which led to him missing the cut.

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Which injury kept PGA Tour star Will Zalatoris away from golf in 2025?

While Will Zalatoris was on the sidelines for the majority of the 2025 golf season, the American golfer participated in a fair share of PGA Tour events before going on a break. In total, Zalatoris played in 11 PGA Tour events, and his best finish was T12 at The American Express.

The final tournament Zalatoris played before going on a break was the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. After missing the cut at the major, Zalatoris, via an Instagram post, revealed feeling discomfort in his back during the spring. He further detailed that he underwent an MRI after the PGA Championship, which led to him having surgery.

Will Zalatoris wrote:

"Hey everyone, sharing a health update. This spring, I started feeling some discomfort and instability in my back that progressively got worse. Following the PGA Championship, an MRI showed that I had re-herniated two discs. After discussing the options with my medical team, I underwent surgery this past Friday with Dr. Michael Duffy at the Texas Back Institute."

Will Zalatoris' surgery in 2025 was the second time he had to go under the knife for a back-related issue. Previously, Zalatoris had surgery on his back in 2023 to address a herniated disc.

Edited by Varun Anand Bhat