Will Zalatoris, ranked 30th in the world, withdrew from this week's PGA Tour event -- The CJ Cup Byron Nelson -- after his back flared up.
"My back needs some rest and recovery," Zalatoris posted to Instagram on Tuesday. "I am ahead of schedule according to my doctors, but unfortunately the first six months back are the most important for the longterm health of my back.
"I need to be prudent to make sure I don't miss a big chunk of time again. I hate that a flare-up happened during one of my favorite weeks all year, but knew something like this was a possibility early on in my return to golf."
The 27-year-old Zalatoris, who is from Dallas, said he was frustrated to miss an event that he has attended since he was 9 years old. He underwent back surgery following the 2023 Masters and was sidelined until January, when he returned and finished 20th out of a 20-man field at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
Nick Watney will replace Zalatoris in the field at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. Jason Day is the defending champion of the event.
Zalatoris has one career PGA Tour victory -- the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship -- and runner-up finishes at the 2021 Masters, 2022 PGA Championship and 2022 U.S. Open.
Field Level Media contributed to this report.
