Zalatoris

Will Zalatoris missed a 14-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at the U.S. Open that would have put him in a playoff with eventual winner Matt Fitzpatrick.

On the par-3 16th, Zalatoris made a birdie to sit 1 back. On the 15th, he missed the fairway again. On the 12th hole, he missed the fairway and had to punch out, which led to a 2-putt for bogey. The 2021 Masters runner-up's usual problems have come with his putter, but as he said with a smile on Sunday, his putting was just fine. "With about six feet to go, I thought I had it," Zalatoris said of his putt. After missing a 14-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that would have put him in a playoff with winner Matt Fitzpatrick, Zalatoris couldn't help but sigh as he was given the silver medal for runner-up at the U.S. Open on Sunday. He spoke to the media while screens showed Fitzpatrick hoisting the trophy, and then Zalatoris walked off with a forced smile.

U.S. Open 2022: After another major runner-up, Zalatoris playfully jabbed the trolls who will be in his Instagram comments this week.

He kept it lighthearted, managing to take a shot at his social-media haters in the process. Will Zalatoris, who is 25 years old and thus, terminally on his phone, is like Durant in that respect. BROOKLINE, Mass. — The comment section of a professional golfer's Instagram account is not a place any real-live human should frequent, especially the golfer his or herself.

Will Zalatoris missed out on a major championship for the third time in three years, finishing just behind Matt Fitzpatrick at the US Open on Sunday.

The game’s there," Zalatoris said. This is the second time Zalatoris has finished runner-up in a major tournament this year and third time over the last two years. The 15th hole appeared to make all the difference. "I'm three shots away from having a chance of being a three-time major champion," Zalatoris said. Obviously we’re doing the right things," Zalatoris said. I thought I played great all week, especially getting off to the start that I did today (2 over through three)."

Zalatoris came close to sending the U.S. Open to a playoff on Sunday, only to finish disappointed once again. “We're talking inches,” he says.

He has finished in the top 10 in six of the eight majors in which he has played. I’ve got to keep knocking on the door because eventually — like I said earlier, the comfort level is there.” At Wake Forest, he was an All-American and ACC Player of the Year. He twice won the Trans-Mississippi Amateur championship. He lost a chance at a playoff in the 1946 Masters when he three-putted from 12 feet, missing a 30-inch putt. The difference is that unlike Hogan, who had established himself as one of the game’s premier players by consistently winning other tournaments, Zalatoris is still looking for his first victory on the PGA Tour. The consensus is that Zalatoris’s putting — particularly the short putt — is his Achilles’ heel. “It’s just little things,” said Zalatoris, who turns 26 in August. “It’s not the same thing at every single one. All the ball had to do was drop and Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick would settle things in a two-hole playoff. I’ve said it since college, anything outside of that 8- to 10-foot zone, I mean, it’s as smooth as anyone else’s stroke.” “We’re obviously doing the right things. He lost a playoff to Byron Nelson at the 1942 Masters after leading by three shots. “That everyone missed that putt high,” Zalatoris added. “With about six feet to go, I thought I had it,” Zalatoris said.

BROOKLINE, Mass. — The putt slid an inch — make that a millimeter — outside the left edge of the cup. Will Zalatoris squatted into a low crouch and let g.

“Typically that leads to playing well in a U.S. Open. So the recipe’s there. He gave a shot back on the par-4 12th. All that seemed to put to rest, at least for a day, the lingering questions about Zalatoris’ flat stick. He made the field based on a high ranking that was helped by what still stands as his only professional win. This second-place finish comes a mere four weeks after Zalatoris finished second at the PGA Championship in a loss to Justin Thomas in a playoff. “I’ve never been around anybody who can just cut it off like that and move onto the next hole.” He is 25, has been on the PGA Tour for less than two years and now has runner-up finishes in three of golf’s four biggest tournaments. He made putts of 18 feet for birdies on 9 and 11 to open a two-shot lead. And yeah, it was a great experience. Fitzpatrick blocked his drive wildly to the right. He bounced his hands off the green then cupped them over his face. BROOKLINE, Mass. — The putt slid an inch — make that a millimeter — outside the left edge of the cup.

Will Zalatoris, Russell Henley and Patrick Rodgers have withdrawn from this week's Travelers Championship.

Also withdrawing from the Travelers on Monday were Russell Henley and Patrick Rodgers. Replacing the trio are Dawie van der Walt, Brett Drewitt and Joshua Creel. This week's Travelers field is still stacked, with Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Sam Burns and Jordan Spieth among the notables set to compete.

In the Englishman's wake were the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy and Will Zalatoris. What separates the U.S. Open ...

When it was 2 feet out, I was like, oh, yeah, that one's in, and for some reason it went off to the left. Defeat is difficult and the process isn’t for everyone, but even after another runner-up showing, another opportunity lost, the destination was still clear. His normally machine-like ball-striking let him down when he needed it the most, and he finished the championship near the bottom of the field in strokes gained: off the tee (55th). His putting, by contrast, was solid and his performance should at least begin to dispel the notion that his short game is holding him back. There was his 17-footer for birdie on No. 9 to move to within a stroke of the lead, which bounced between Fitzpatrick and Scheffler for much of the afternoon. It just so happens the last two majors he's been up against great champions in Fitzy and Justin Thomas [at the PGA Championship],” said Scheffler, who tied for second with Zalatoris. “I was watching the putt on 18. A Masters rookie hasn’t won at Augusta National in more than four decades and it’s probably tough to convince yourself that you’re the exception. “I was pretty sporadic off the tee here and there. Golf is littered with players who were never able to turn close into a coronation and, fairly or not, many of the snake-bitten were relegated to careers that felt underachieved. For most 25-year-olds it would be a resume worth celebrating, but late Sunday on the south end of Boston, Zalatoris wasn’t interested in a celebration. There was an appreciation for what he’d done well, not a crushing desire to lament what had gone wrong. For Willy Z, last year’s near-miss at Augusta National was his first time in contention at a major. Zalatoris, a rail-thin ringer for Owen Wilson who crashed the PGA Tour party during the lonely pandemic days and has become a perennial contender, was playing for his first big-league triumph, be it major or otherwise.

Will Zalatoris addressed “Instagram morons” following his second-place finish at the U.S. Open on Sunday. “I'm sure all the Instagram...

“I’m not happy with finishing second,” he said. “I’m obviously trying to make it. “This one, in particular, hurts pretty hard,” said Zalatoris — who now has six top-10 finishes in nine major starts. “I’m three shots away from practically being a — having a chance of being a three-time major champion. “I don’t know what to take from this one yet,” he said. The 25-year-old pro was one stroke behind champion Matt Fitzpatrick. He missed a 14-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that would have forced a playoff.