Will Zalatoris goes into the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open with a first PGA Tour win in his sights after a superb performance on day three.
Zalatoris claimed a share of the 54-hole lead with Jason Day thanks to a seven-under-par 65 at Torrey Pines.
That took him to 14 under, level with 2015 US PGA Championship winner Day, who carded a 67.
Zalatoris had started the day six strokes adrift of midway leaders Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and Adam Schenk.
But an eagle at the par-four second gave him early momentum and five further gains followed in a blemish-free round for last season's Rookie of the Year.
That eagle featured a 338-yard tee shot as a day Zalatoris described as perhaps the best with the driver "maybe ever" put him in position to push for a maiden tour win.
Asked how much distance he has gained following a switch to a 46-inch driver, Zalatoris replied: "Twelve yards, I've clocked it up to 127 [mph clubhead speed] and have 186 ball speed so, around here, that's huge.
"Obviously you've seen what Bryson [DeChambeau] has done, you won't be seeing me at 220 [ball speed] anytime soon but definitely the added distance has really paid dividends."
Along with Day, Zalatoris still has Rahm in his rear-view mirror, a level-par 72 keeping him at 13 under, tied for third with Aaron Rai.
Rahm carded a double bogey at the 10th and lost another shot at the 12th, but he will hope his experience of winning the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines last year can help him recover on Saturday.
Thomas, meanwhile, carded a one-over 73 and has Cameron Tringale and Sungjae Im for company on 12 under.
Luke Donald humbled by players’ support for his return as Ryder Cup captain
Luke Donald admits it was “humbling and gratifying” to have the support of Europe’s players after being named captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup.
Donald has been reappointed after masterminding a commanding victory in Rome earlier this year, after which the winning team immediately urged him to break with recent tradition and remain in charge.
Support for the 45-year-old was such that it was inevitable that he would become Europe’s first repeat captain since Bernard Gallacher performed the role in 1991, 1993 and 1995.
The former world number one will also bid to become only the second captain after Tony Jacklin in 1985 and 1987 to win home and away.
While Jacklin and Gallacher led the side on multiple occasions, it had been common practice since 1997 for the captain to only get one bite of the cherry, even if – like Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam – they spearheaded record victories.
However, Europe’s players made it clear they wanted that to change as they chanted “two more years” while Donald gave a television interview following the five-point victory in Rome.
“I think everyone sitting here would be very happy to have him again,” Rory McIlroy said in the winning team’s press conference, while Tommy Fleetwood hailed Donald as “phenomenal”.
Speaking after being reappointed, Donald said: “It was so humbling, so gratifying to hear that they wanted me to carry on and certainly that was a big part of my decision to do that.
“We created some special moments, some special memories that week and to have their backing meant the world to me.
“When I was lifting that trophy and hearing the support the guys had for me, even back then I thought I can’t let the lads down and maybe I have to do this again.
“Not often in life are you given great opportunities and I really feel like this is an amazing opportunity.
“I was given a great opportunity to do Rome [after Henrik Stenson was sacked for joining LIV] and I certainly took it with both hands and to obviously be given the opportunity to go back-to-back is something that I love.
“As Rory said, it’s the ultimate to try to win away from home. I’ve done it twice as a player but it’s not easy. We have to go back to 2012 for (a win) in the US.
“We know that in any sport when you have the crowd behind you it’s a big advantage and certainly I’ll have to figure out ways to kind of counter that.”
Donald could also have to face up to Tiger Woods being his opposite number at Bethpage Black, although the 15-time major winner said on Tuesday that he has become so involved in his new player-director role on the PGA Tour that any conversations about the captaincy would have to take a back seat.
Donald is relaxed about the prospect regardless, preferring to focus instead on whether to retain his five vice-captains and assessing if having six qualifiers and six wild cards is the best system for selecting a team.
“I’m sure someone like Francesco (Molinari) would love to play in New York as I’m sure he feels like he still has an opportunity to do it,” Donald said.
“You saw Justin Rose at age 43 have a great Ryder Cup himself. That’s inspiring, I’m sure, to someone like that.
“I’ll certainly look at all the candidates and all the vice-captains that were under me and have conversations with them and see where their mind is as well. That process starts right now.
“[The qualifying] worked well this time around. We had six picks and those picks performed well. I think we were able to pick some experienced players, some rookies, it was a nice freedom to have as captain.
“Again, those decisions have yet to be decided and that’s probably the number one priority for me to try and figure out, is this the best way going forward?”
Whether future captains also get to lead the team home and away also remains to be seen.
“Right now what we’ve done is made the decision which is based on the goal of retaining the trophy in 2025,” Ryder Cup Europe executive director Guy Kinnings said.
“So I don’t think that it should be read anything more than that. What we’ve done is taken the circumstances we have in front of us and made what I hope, which I know is the right decision, and got the right man at the helm.”
Luke Donald reappointed European Ryder Cup captain for 2025 contest in New York
Luke Donald will captain Europe in the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York, Ryder Cup Europe have announced.
Donald has been reappointed after masterminding a commanding win in Rome earlier this year, after which Europe’s players immediately urged him to break with recent tradition and remain in charge for a second consecutive contest.
The 45-year-old becomes Europe’s first repeat captain since Bernard Gallacher performed the role in 1991, 1993 and 1995 and will bid to become only the second captain after Tony Jacklin in 1985 and 1987 to win home and away.
“I’m delighted and honoured to have been given the chance to lead Team Europe in the Ryder Cup once again,” said Donald, who was initially appointed for the 2023 edition after Henrik Stenson was sacked for joining LIV Golf.
“Great opportunities don’t come along very often in life and I’m a great believer that when they do, you need to grab them with both hands. This is one of these moments.
“I’ve been fortunate as a player to have had many amazing times in the Ryder Cup over the years and so to add being a winning captain to that, to form bonds with the 12 players like we did in Italy and to get the result we did, was very special indeed.
“The Ryder Cup means so much to me, so to be captain again and have the chance to create more history by becoming only the second European captain to win back-to-back is exciting.
“There is no question that being a captain away from home is a tough task. But I have never shied away from challenges throughout my career and it is precisely the kind of thing that motivates me.
“I can’t wait to get another 12-strong team to Bethpage in 2025.”
While Jacklin and Gallacher led the side on multiple occasions, it had been common practice since 1997 for the captain to only get one bite of the cherry, even if they spearheaded record victories.
However, Donald’s players made it clear they wanted the former world number one to break the mould as they chanted “Two more years” while he gave a television interview following the five-point victory in Rome.
“I think everyone sitting here would be very happy to have him again,” Rory McIlroy said in the winning team’s press conference.
Tommy Fleetwood, who secured the winning point, added: “Luke is amazing, we are all so proud of him.
“From when this whole process started, he’s been so, so good. The way he’s been this week has been phenomenal. We just look at Luke on another level. He’s been amazing and I’m so happy that we could all get it done for him.”
Donald said in the immediate aftermath of Europe’s win that he would consider remaining as captain, although he was well aware that the last away victory was the ‘Miracle at Medinah” in 2012.
“Maybe I go out leaving a legacy as a winning Ryder Cup captain and not risk that,” Donald, who won the opening singles match in Europe’s comeback in 2012, said.
“Obviously going over there in New York, which would be a real cauldron, those fans are extremely passionate. It would be a really, really tough environment. If I was to do this job, and I was to go over there and win, that would be some accomplishment.”
Will Zalatoris back in the swing after enduring ‘golfer’s worst nightmare’
Will Zalatoris will join Tiger Woods in returning to action in the Hero World Challenge after suffering what he describes as “a golfer’s worst nightmare”.
Zalatoris moved to the top of the FedEx Cup standings with his first PGA Tour title in the FedEx St Jude Championship last August, only to injure his back midway through the following week’s BMW Championship.
The 27-year-old did not play again for the rest of the year and, after completing seven tournaments at the start of 2023, suffered a more severe setback ahead of the Masters.
“It’s been an interesting seven months,” Zalatoris said. “Kind of a golfer’s worst nightmare is feeling your back giving out on the driving range at Augusta 30 minutes before your tee time.
“When I go from ramping up to Augusta, hurt my back on Thursday and then Saturday I’m already having surgery, it’s a big swing of emotions. I think the first five, six weeks was probably the hardest.
“It’s been a patience game. It’s been a grind. I had a lot of really good advice from guys that have had to go through the same thing and all of them said take your time, no one’s ever come back from an injury taking too long.
“I really started hitting balls probably a couple of months ago. Each week has just progressively gotten a little bit better. I was on a pretty strict ball count, strict amount of time of how much I could practice.
“I know way more about anatomy now than I think I ever really wanted to, but I feel really good right now.”
Zalatoris used his enforced time off to return to college and work towards completing his degree at Wake Forest, which he left during his senior year to turn professional, and also enjoyed a bucket-list trip to Wimbledon with his wife Caitlin.
When he was finally cleared to practice, Zalatoris was wary of making any changes to his distinctive swing, but knew it was necessary to relieve the strain on his back.
“I’ve always been very hyperdynamic, my left foot’s off the ground like JT (Justin Thomas),” Zalatoris added.
“The reality is that actually put a lot of stress on my back, and I had a bunch of side bend and maybe my posture wasn’t perfect, but in my three years on Tour, my worst strokes-gained approach was second.
“The last thing I wanted to do was change anything. (But) the surgery that I had actually was a huge benefit in the sense that really thin, wiry people, they don’t have a lot of room in their back typically.
“I had had some stuff that had popped up, your body tries to heal it, which ends up putting in less space. So clearing all that stuff out, I’m probably one of the only people that’s gone through back surgery and has actually had better range of motion.
“It was the stability coming back that was really the hard part.”
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