Will Zalatoris withdraws from CJ Cup Byron Nelson

Will Zalatoris hits his drive on the 10th hole during the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

McKINNEY, Texas — The CJ Cup Byron Nelson will be without another of its hometown heroes.

First, Masters champion Scottie Scheffler opted to skip this week as he and wife Meredith await the birth of their first child. That had been expected. But on Wednesday, Will Zalatoris surprised tournament organizers by withdrawing from the tournament.

Zalatoris, 27, didn’t cite a reason. He was scheduled to give a press conference at 2 p.m. CT, which has been canceled too. Nick Watney replaces Zalatoris, who was one of the top draws this week, in the field.

Zalatoris entered the week ranked No. 30 in the Official World Golf Ranking.  He has recorded three top-10 finishes this season — a T-2 at the Genesis Championship in February, a T-4 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March and a T-9 at the Masters in April. He last competed at the RBC Heritage two weeks ago.

Two days after he withdrew from the 2023 Masters, he underwent a microdiscectomy surgery and missed more than seven months. There’s no indication, at this time, that Zalatoris pulled out this week due to a recurring back issue.

Zalatoris’s WD means there are only three players in the top 30 competing this week at TPC Craig Ranch.

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This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Will Zalatoris withdraws from CJ Cup Byron Nelson