20 Things You Didn't Know About Will Zalatoris

Will Zalatoris is a one-time winner on the PGA Tour. He is a former PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 2021 and has three top-two finishes in the Majors. After spending several months on the sidelines due to back surgery in 2023, he returned to action for the start of the 2024 season.

Get to know Zalatoris a little bit better with these 20 facts…

1. William Patrick Zalatoris was born on 16 August 1996.

2. He was born in San Francisco, and growing up he spent his formative golf years playing at the outstanding California Golf Club with his dad.

3. He spent much of his teenage golfing years playing junior tournaments in Texas alongside his friend Jordan Spieth. Zalatoris, speaking to Golf Digest, remembered one story of competing together when he was 11 years old:

“We weren’t even old enough to drive carts yet,” Zalatoris said. “And he, I remember playing at my home course at Bent Tree and he flared one way out right off the tee, hits a second shot in the bunker, makes like a 30-footer for par and then he birdies 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9 to shoot 29 on the front and shot 63 and shot the course record that had been there for 15 years … I couldn’t even fathom shooting a score like that at 14.”

4. The young American attended Wake Forest University in North Carolina, where he studied psychology.

5. His grandfather was a US military pilot for more than 30 years, and his father and uncles were also pilots. He says he would love to learn to fly. His mother was a track-and-field athlete at the University of Oregon.

6. Zalatoris had a very good amateur career. He qualified to compete at the 2009 US Junior Amateur despite being just 12 years old, before winning the event in 2014. He managed to defeat Davis Riley 5&3 to win in the last year he was eligible.

7. His favorite memory off the course was being at game five of the 2010 World Series and witnessing the San Francisco Giants winning the title.

8. In 2017, he won three points from four matches at the 2017 Walker Cup. In a team that also included stars Collin Morikawa, Cameron Champ, Maverick McNealy and Scottie Scheffler, Zalatoris helped the US win 19-7, which was the biggest Walker Cup victory in 20 years.

9. He turned professional in 2018.

10. His favorite sports teams are the Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

11. He currently resides in Dallas, where he plays money games against former NFL star and accomplished golfer Tony Romo.

12. Since turning pro in 2018, Zalatoris has had a meteoric rise up the world golf rankings. At the start of 2019, he was ranked outside the top-2000 and just over a couple of years later he ranked inside the top-50. This is thanks to some stellar golf which eventually earned him Special Temporary Member status on the PGA Tour. He continued to rise up the rankings, reaching his peak in 2022 at seventh.

13. He was voted PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for the 2020-21 season, following a runners-up at the 2021 Masters and eight top 10s on tour.

14. He claimed his first PGA Tour event in August 2022, winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind.

15. In April 2023, Zalatoris underwent back surgery and was forced to miss the remainder of the season. He made his return to action at the Hero World Challenge in late November.

16. Zalatoris' wife is Caitlyn Sellers, with the couple tying the knot in December 2022.

17. He has earned over $14 million in prize money during his career.

18. During the 2021/22 season, he averaged 314.7 yards with the driver – 13th on the PGA Tour.

19. He is sponsored by Titleist and Footjoy, while also having partnerships with Simmons Bank and several other brands. He plays a ProV1x ball and uses a TSR3 driver.

20. Zalatoris’ caddie has been Joel Stock since August 2022. Stock has previously caddied for Ben Crane, Kevin Tway and Cameron Tringale.

How far does Will Zalatoris hit the ball?

Zalatoris averaged 314.7 yards with the driver in 2022. He was 13th on tour in driving distance, but only 159th in driving accuracy at 55 per cent. 

Will Zalatoris career earnings

He has made over $14 million over the course of his career. He has one win on the PGA Tour.