Will Zalatoris didn't take home the 2024 Genesis Invitational trophy (though he did win two cars), but his runner-up finish may have been as encouraging and, for his competitors on the PGA Tour, as foreboding as anyone's result at Riviera Country Club.

For the first time since a rare back operation in the spring, Zalatoris was in contention. He followed a 65 on moving day — his best post-surgery round — and was 3-under on Sunday heading into the home stretch, briefly grasping the lead. Ultimately, his 69 lagged behind Hideki Matsuyama's historic 62, but there was certainly no shame in tying for second (with Luke List).

“The beauty of this game is it's kind of nice when you get beat by somebody who shoots 62 on Sunday,” said Zalatoris.

 

Last April, Zalatoris, at the time ranked No. 8 in the world, was forced to pull out of The Masters 30 minutes before his tee time. He was soon under the knife, unable to swing for eight months. Instead of rushing his rehab, Zalatoris knocked off bucket list items, tinkered with his swing and implemented a broomstick putter.

Riviera — the site of Zalatoris' first Tour start — happens to be tailor-made for his approach skills. But the former rookie of the year, seeking a second career win (2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship), appears to be a force to be reckoned with, once again.

“I was impatient from about April to December, there's no question about that,” Zalatoris said. “Yeah, I'm definitely ahead of the curve in terms of the speed, where my game's at. It's just little things.”

Zalatoris' game has been making strides since his last-place finish in his first event back: the flat, welcoming Hero World Challenge in December. His four PGA Tour starts to begin 2024? A missed cut at the Sony Open, a T34 at The American Express, a T13 at The Farmers Insurance Open, and now a T2 at one of golf's trickiest venues. For the season, his strokes gained numbers have improved across the board with each event, per DataGolf.

“Every week I've been getting better, so I knew I just got to keep doing what I'm doing,” he said. “I've got a lot of silver in my house so getting another second place doesn't really sit that well, but obviously coming back from what I had to go through physically, we're in the right direction.”

On top of everything, Zalatoris was golfing with a heavy heart.

“I lost a family member on Thursday and … she was with me all week,” he said. “Pretty special to make the hole-in-one on Friday after I found out on Thursday…Just shows you life’s short and appreciate the moments. How lucky I am to be out here.”

Perhaps the most encouraging element of Zalatoris' hole-in-one wasn't the shot itself — though it reflected his strong iron play — but the no-hesitation jump on that repaired back into caddie Joel Stock's arms.

 

Zalatoris was invited into the Genesis on a sponsor exemption by tournament host, Tiger Woods (who underwent the same back surgery). Thanks to the OWGR and FedExCup points earned at Riviera, Zalatoris should have no problem qualifying for upcoming signature events, like The Players Championship next month.

After his performance at Riviera, though, Zalatoris is justifiably back to eyeing majors.

“(The Genesis) is really good preparation for the majors coming up. It's nice to be able to work on these changes when I'm in contention, fully committed to what I'm doing. … I'm headed in the right direction and week by week I've obviously been getting better, I'm getting more and more comfortable.”