Zalatoris' Continued Back are Painfully Sad 

I truly feel bad for Will Zalatoris (Titleist Pro V1x) who will need spinal-fusion surgery to repair his back and will be sidelined for at all of 2027. This will be his third major back surgery since 2023. Zalatoris is only 30, far too young to have chronic back issues that have put his golf career on hold and potentially affect his quality of life.

The other day I was listening to a golf show and Richard Zokol was talking about a book he has written: Zokology: Change Your Perspective Not Your Swing, How I Competed and Won on the PGA Tour by Changing the Way I Thought. For those of you who don’t recall Zokol, he played off and on in the PGA Tour from 1982 through to 2003. He won only once on the PGA event—though some players can’t even say that—the Greater Milwaukee Open in 1992.

Woah, Nelly. That was quite an impressive performance by Nelly Korda (TaylorMade TP5x) in the Chevron Championship, scoring a five-shot victory, winning wire to wire and setting a LPGA majors record with a score of 14-under par after 36 holes. With the win, she vaulted into first place in the world rankings ahead of Jeeno Thitikul (Callaway Chrome Tour X), who surprisingly didn’t make the cut and continued the distinction of the greatest active player not to win a major. More on that later.

It’s the first LPGA Tour major of the season. Who do you think will win? It will be interesting to see who takes the ceremonial jump into the water at the 2026 Chevron Championship, which takes place this year at the Memorial Park Golf Course, site of the recent Texas Children’s Houston Open, following three years at Carlton Woods.

Scottie Scheffler (Titleist Pro V1) is the number one ranked golfer in the world, but the sport revolves around Rory McIlroy (TaylorMade TP5). By virtue of defending his Masters championship, McIlroy provided the latest example of that. After breaking the drought last year, he repeated it last week. It might not have been as dramatic – he didn’t fall to his knees and shake – but it was historic.

So, The Masters is finally here. Does it get any better? I’ve never been to Augusta National and it’s something I hope to do at some point. I covered horse racing as a journalist for 10 years and regularly attended the Kentucky Derby. I can honestly say that it never got dull. Seeing Churchill Downs and the Twin Spires gave me a true understanding of a true sports landmark. I’m sure it’s the same with Augusta National. I can only imagine what the course looks like. I’m told the wonderful scenes you see on TV do not really do it justice, and that in person, the undulations of the lush greens, the azaleas in full bloom, Amen Corner and the various bridges named after immortals of the game are collective works of art.

Perspective is a sobering thing when it comes to health. Gary Woodland (Titleist Pro V1) made us all appreciate that we are nothing without our health, while also proving that will is sometimes more powerful than the mind in terms of everyday living. In going public recently with The Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard about his battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Woodland allowed us a peek into his private world since his brain surgery in September 2023.

The golf gods giveth and taketh. How else can you explain the last two PGA tournaments. Matt Fitzpatrick (Titleist Pro V1x) wins the Valspar Championship by one stroke after losing the Players Championship seven days before by one stroke. Fitzpatrick was gracious in defeat, so perhaps he was rewarded for his good sportsmanship.

Before I talk about the thrilling finale of the 2026 Players Championship, I wanted to highlight Sudarshan Yellamaraju (Titleist Pro V1). Yellamaraju is a landed Canadian immigrant – I’m a Canadian by birth – and his hometown is Mississauga, which is where I am based, in the west end of Toronto. Up until last week, Yellamaraju was known only to the Canadian golf community, and even then, it was probably a limited audience. That will no longer be the case. His cover, so to speak, has been blown after he finished tied with Ludwig Aberg (Titleist Pro V1x) and Jacob Bridgeman (TaylorMade TP5X) for fifth.