United States
Will Zalatoris
Zalatoris makes his debut at the Nedbank Golf Challenge after initially wanting to play in the 2022 event but being forced to withdraw because of injury.
The 28-year-old PGA Tour champion tees off at the Gary Player Country Club with a solid year behind him featuring two top-five finishes on the PGA Tour – including an emotional second place at The Genesis Invitational where he played with the weight of having lost a family member that week – that carried him to 38th on the FedExCup standings.
The 2020-21 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year also had a top-10 at The Masters, which was the sixth top-ten in 14 starts of his Major Championship career.
After progressing from the Korn Ferry Tour, Zalatoris broke through on the PGA Tour with victory in the 2022 FedEx St Jude Championship.
His sporting prowess no doubt comes from his mother, who was a college track and field star for the University of Oregon.
Zalatoris, who is of Greek origin, has an enviable record at The Masters where he’s finished second, tied sixth and tied ninth in his three starts there to date.
He’s also finished second in the PGA Championship and tied second in the US Open.
When his family moved from California to Texas, his first close friend in his new home of Dallas was Jordan Spieth with whom he used to travel with to junior golf tournaments.
