The Fried Egg Golf Podcast · The Fried Egg

Will Zalatoris Talks Injury Comeback, Augusta National, & Much More

·1 hr 24 min·5 clips

Will says Augusta National is the one place where “there never is anything to lose.”

Andy Johnson opens with an easy, conversational tone before bringing Will Zalatoris fully into the conversation. Zalatoris talks through the back issues that have slowed his last couple of years, and he frames the comeback as something bigger than a simple return date. The Amex in Palm Springs becomes the target for his season opener, and Johnson gives him space to explain what that restart means. Zalatoris says he wants golf to feel fun again after a stretch where it had started to feel heavy. He talks about getting out to play new places and treating the game like something he enjoys instead of something he has to grind through. One story centers on an early morning round at Cypress after a stop at the Californian and Cal Club. That detail keeps the conversation feeling loose and lived in. The two of them also talk about the wider emotional swing that comes with being unable to compete. Zalatoris is clear that the layoff has been frustrating. He also puts the time away in perspective by remembering earlier years when he had to make practical sacrifices just to save money. That thread makes the injury story feel less like a setback report and more like a career-long conversation about patience. Major-championship golf enters the picture as a marker of what he is still chasing. Johnson and Zalatoris connect that level of play to the bigger challenge of getting back to form. The interview keeps a relaxed rhythm instead of forcing sharp segments. That approach lets Zalatoris follow the thought where it wants to go. It also leaves room for reflection on how golfers measure time, health, and opportunity. By the end, the mood stays hopeful without turning sentimental. Zalatoris sounds eager to rejoin the tour and see what the next stretch of his career looks like.

As heard by us

A thoughtful comeback chat about injury, perspective, and the pull of major-championship golf.

Will Zalatoris’s return anchors this conversation, which keeps circling back to injury, perspective, and the work of getting back on the PGA Tour after time away. Andy Johnson lets him speak at length, and that choice pays off.

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Why you'd press play

Hear Will Zalatoris talk injury comeback, the PGA Tour reset, and getting golf fun back.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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