Will Zalatoris is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour whose exploits on the golf course have won him many accolades. He has had an incredible meteoric rise from 672nd in the world ranking at the start of 2020 to the 12th position on July 19, 2022.
Zalatoris’s talent, determination, and confidence have earmarked him as a future rising star, having clinched several awards, including the 2020 TPC Colorado Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour. He further managed a second-place finish in the 2021 Masters Tournament while making his debut. Zalatoris was the US Amateur Champion in 2014 as well as a member of the U.S. Walker Cup group in 2017. Here are 6 intriguing facts about the rising American golfer.
Profile summary of Will Zalatoris
- Full Name: William Patrick Zalatoris
- Date of Birth: August 16, 1996
- Age: 26 years
- Place of Birth: San Francisco, California, United States
- Residence: Dallas Texas
- Ethnicity: White
- Nationality: American
- Zodiac Sign: Leo
- Education: Trinity Christian Academy, Wake Forest University
- Profession: American golfer
- Net Worth: $5 million
- Height: 6 feet 2 inches (1.88m)
- Weight: 79 kg (175 lbs)
- Will Zalatoris’s girlfriend: Caitlyn Sellers
- Marital Status: Engaged
- Children: None
- Instagram: @willzalatoris
- Twitter: @WillZalatoris
Will Zalatoris is the Son of a Pilot and Track Star
William Patrick Zalatoris was born on August 16, 1996, in San Francisco, California, United States of America. He is the only child born to his father, Richard, who is a businessman and former pilot, and his mother, Catherine Zalatoris, who was a track and field athlete at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, USA.
Zalatoris spent his early years in San Francisco, California, where he played golf at the California Golf Club of San Francisco (Cal Club) until his family moved to Dallas when his father took over a major mall renovation in Dallas, Texas. While in Dallas, the family joined Bent Tree County Club, where Zalatoris found himself playing in competitive junior events. He played in the local legends junior tour with the likes of Spieth and Scottie Scheffler.
Will Zalatoris Wanted to be a Pilot as a Child
Will’s grandfather served as a United States military pilot for over 30 years, and his father and uncles were also pilots. Little surprise that he also wanted to learn how to fly planes, but he eventually chose golf.
Will’s father, Richard, is a golf enthusiast who was a member of the California Golf Club of San Francisco and Bent Tree County Club. Moreover, he played golf at Augusta National during his prime. His interest in the sport sparked curiosity and admiration in young Will, who looked up to his father as a role model. Throughout Will’s journey toward becoming a professional golfer, his father supported him and gave him space to develop at his own pace.
Besides his father, his mother also inspired his competitive drive and has given him some valuable advice over the years. He told Golf Digest, “My mom ran track at Oregon, middle distance, the 400 and 800… Golf can be similar… She always said to me: ‘Don’t force anything early.’ She doesn’t play much golf, but she gets the mentality.”
He won the Junior Amateur Golf Championship in 2014
Will Zalatoris started establishing his golfing career at an early age. Just when he was 12, he qualified for the 2009 U.S Junior Amateur, playing his first round of stroke play with current PGA TOUR player Patrick Cantlay. In 2014, he represented Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, a suburb of Dallas, and he won the U.S. Junior Amateur after defeating Davis Riley in the last year he was eligible. Will was a runner-up at The Classic at the Texarkana CC and won the Antigua National High School Tournament in 2013. He also won the Trans-Mississippi Amateur and Pacific Coast Amateur in 2016.
After completing his education at Trinity Christian Academy, he earned the Arnold Palmer Scholarship, given to one player entering his freshman season at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. He went on to attend Wake Forest University in North Carolina, where he studied psychology. Will played college golf for head coach Jerry Haas at Wake Forest University but left before his senior year in December 2017 to pursue golfing professionally.
While at West Forest University, he was named ACC player of the year in 2017, and he was selected as a member of the U.S. Walker Cup team in the summer of 2017, teaming up with Collin Morikawa, Scheffler, Maverick McNealy, Doc Redman, Cameron Champ, and others. The Americans defeated Great Britain and Ireland that year at Los Angeles Country Club.
Will’s three years collegiate golfing career produced 24 top 10s and 15 top fives, and four victories. He had a school-record 70.44 career stroke average, breaking the previous record of 70.87 set by Bill Haas (Jerry’s nephew).
His Amateur career Achievements
- 2014 U.S. Junior Amateur
- 2016 Trans-Mississippi Amateur, Pacific Coast Amateur
- 2017 General Hackler Championship, Rod Myers Invitational
Will Turned Professional in 2018
Will turned professional in 2018 after dropping out of university before his senior year. However, he was unable to make it past the first stage of the Korn Ferry Tour Q School. Due to his lack of eligibility, Will depended on Monday qualifying and sponsor exemptions to play in the Korn Ferry Tour occasions in 2019. On July 7th, he secured membership for the rest of the season after a tie for third at the LECOM Health Challenge, and he concluded the regular season 60th place in points, earning full status for the 2020 season.
Will Zalatoris recorded his first professional win in the TPC Colorado Championship in July 2020. Following his first pro victory, he rose to first place on the Korn Ferry Tour points list and qualified him for the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. At the U.S. Open, he won the par-3 seventh hole in the first round of the tournament and remained in sixth place. He continued his winning streak with a T8 at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship and earned Special Temporary Member status after the Bermuda Championship.
In the 2021 Masters Tournament, Will finished second with a score of 9-under-par, finishing one stroke behind Hideki Matsuyama in April 2021. For the 2020-2021 season Will was voted PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. He tied for the lead of the Farmers Insurance Open after 72 holes in January 2022. Will lost a sudden-death playoff to Luke List when List hit his approach shot to a foot away from the first playoff hole and made a birdie.
Will finished second in a major championship for the second time in May 2022, and he lost to Justin Thomas in a playoff in the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He had another second place in a major championship in June 2022. At the U.S Open, he finished tied with Scottie Scheffler behind Matt Fitzpatrick at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Will Zalatoris is Engaged to Long-Time Girlfriend Caitlin Sellers
Will Zalatoris is currently engaged to psychology graduate Caitlin Sellers. He has been dating Sellers since 2018 after the pair met while studying at Wake Forest University where they were both students. The pair kept their romance away from the public until December 2018, when the pro golfer shared a picture alongside Sellers and introduced her as his girlfriend.
Since the pair became officially an item, Sellers has been constantly sighted supporting and cheering on Will at most of his tournaments. She was present when the Pro golfer won the TPC Colorado Championship back in 2020.
Similarly, Will never misses a chance to celebrate his girlfriend on special occasions like graduation, birthday, and other ceremonies. In May 2019, after Sellers graduated from the University of Texas, the Pro golfer congratulated her with a sweet message on his Instagram page. On April 26, 2021, Will proposed to his girlfriend, Sellers, and shared the engagement pictures on Instagram with the caption, “Best day of my life. I love you.”
What is Will Zalatoris’s Net Worth?
Will has faced both hard and good times since his professional debut in 2018. The talented golfer’s short professional golfing career has seen him amass a whopping fortune of $5 million. He earned an enormous amount of $1,942,002 during the 2020-21 season. Additionally, he earns money from his sponsorship and endorsement deals with brands like Cadillac, a car company.
Other Random Facts about Will Zalatoris
1. Will’s favorite place is his birthplace San Francisco, California
2. He played baseball when he was young
3. His favorite memory outside the golf course was witnessing the San Francisco Giants’ victory at Game 5 of the 2010 World Series
4. The pro golfer’s favorite sports teams are the Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants, Dallas Cowboys, and Dallas Stars.
5. He stands tall at a height of 6 feet 2 inches (1.88m) with a body weight of 175 lb (79 kg).
6. He considers his caddie Ryan Goble as the main reason for his victory in the TPC Colorado Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour.
7. Will has been compared to actor Jared Van Snellenberg, who played the part of a caddie in the 1996 film Happy Gilmore.
8. The Pro golfer is a foodie, and he got the quality from his father, who worked 35 years in retail.
9. Will Zalatoris studied Psychology at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.
10. Although Will is the only child of his parents, he calls former NFL Quarterback Tony Romo His ‘Big Brother
11. He currently resides in Dallas, where he plays money games against former NFL star and accomplished golfer Tony Romo.
