Be Right
Masters 2022: 'I've thought about it every day for the past year': Will Zalatoris on his epic Masters debut
Gregory Shamus
It's natural to want to treat the Masters as just any other tournament, thus relieving yourself of all the pre-tournament nerves at Augusta National. It might not actually work, but it's worth a shot.
Will Zalatoris knows it's anything but "just another" event, though, especially after his incredible Masters debut a year ago, when he finished in solo second. On this week's episode of the "Be Right" podcast, Zalatoris admitted that close call has been on his mind for quite some time.
"I did go back and watch some of it," Zalatoris said. "I didn't watch all of it, but I'm not going to lie, I've obviously thought about that tournament pretty much every day since last year."
Even with that weighing on his mind, the former Wake Forest Demon Deacon has been able to back up his rookie Masters performance with five top 10s on the PGA Tour since, which has kept him firmly inside the top 30 of the Official World Golf Ranking. The only thing currently missing from his resume is a victory, which he nearly grabbed in February at the Farmers Insurance Open, losing in a playoff to Luke List.
"I've learned a lot, especially when it comes to playing tougher golf courses," Zalatoris said of the past year. "I've gotten more comfortable with playing these courses since it's my second time around. It's been a lot of fun, this is what I've wanted to do my entire life. There's been some little surprises along the way, especially last year, going from general anonymity to picking up coffee at my usual spot and the lady ringing me up knows who I am."
For the full conversation with Zalatoris, plus Masters picks with Notah Begay III, please have a listen below. And don't be afraid to like, subscribe and leave a review.
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