Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

The Genesis Invitational 2024 from the Riviera Country Club turned out to be an emotional week for golfers. From Tiger Woods‘ return to unexpected withdraw, the final round of pairing of best friends Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, and to the epic comeback of Hideki Matsuyama, it had everything. However, the biggest burden was on Will Zalatoris.

The 2022 St. Jude Championship winner had just returned to the greens following a nasty back injury. In the week, Zalatoris once again showcased some of his incredible golfing skills. All of this though came after he lost a dear family member earlier this week.

Speaking at the press conference after the final round, the 27-year old golfer claimed that he was excited about where his game was heading. A few moments later, he would choke up and break down in tears as he revealed an untimely death of a family member.

I didn’t say anything all week, but I … sorry. I lost a family member on Thursday, so she was with me all week. It was very unexpected. This whole week was for her. My family can’t be here no matter what would have happened, but very proud of how I played. Will Zalatoris revealing the death of a family member as per PGA Tour.

Will Zalatoris finishes runner-up at Genesis Invitational in emotional week

While the week has been an emotional one for Will Zalatoris, he has showed signs of getting back to his usual self. The American golfer has kept on improving this year. After failing to make the cut at The Sentry, Zalatoris achieved positive results and finished in T13 at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Recently, Zalatoris revealed how the huge change of putter has helped him improve his game. He entered the final round two shots behind Patrick Cantlay. In a valiant effort, he finished 14-under while being tied for runner-up spot with Luke List , three strokes behind eventual winner Hideki Matsuyama.

Though the Japanese golfer once again got the better of him just like the 2021 Masters, there was some huge positives for Zalatoris. On Friday, during the second round, he fired a hole-in-one at the 14th hole, that earned him and caddie one car each.

Zalatoris might have come up short, but this performance of him speaks volume after all that he had been through this week. Several fans are now eagerly waiting for his next appearance as he tries to climb his way back up to the top of the mountain in the upcoming months.

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