By Jay Coffin
Will Zalatoris has withdrawn from the Tour Championship because of two herniated discs in his back, the PGA Tour announced on Tuesday. The statement also revealed that he will not be able to play for the United States in the Presidents Cup.

The news comes as a disappointing conclusion to a whirlwind three-week stretch where Zalatoris captured his first PGA Tour victory in dramatic fashion at the FedEx St Jude Championship in a three-hole playoff over Sepp Straka, played two days at the BMW Championship before withdrawing early in the third round because of a back injury and now, he’s out of the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup race altogether.

He had entered this week ranked third in FedEx Cup points, behind Scottie Scheffler and Patrick Cantlay. The Tour Championship field at East Lake will remain 29 and the starting strokes will not be affected. Zalatoris will collect $500,000 for last-place earnings.

Following the BMW Championship on Sunday, Zalatoris was announced as one of six automatic qualifiers for the Presidents Cup, held from September 22-25 at Quail Hollow in Charlotte. He was set to join Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler on his first International team competition as a professional. The statement said he will not be well enough to play for US captain Davis Love’s squad.

“After Will’s withdrawal from the BMW Championship on Saturday, his medical team determined that the source of his back pain is two herniated discs. Unfortunately, this means that Will is unable to play this week at the Tour Championship,” a statement read with a comment from Zalatoris’ management team.

“He is also very disappointed that he will not have the opportunity to play in next month’s Presidents Cup, where he was hoping to play for Captain Love and represent the United States. Will would like to thank his fans, sponsors, the Tour, and his team for all of their support. He is fully focused on getting healthy and back onto the course as soon as he is able.”

Zalatoris, ranked No. 9 in the world, played the first four holes of his third round at Wilmington Country Club last week in the BMW Championship and it was clear that he was in pain. He tweaked his lower back on the third hole, received treatment, but felt it was best to withdraw in hopes of trying to play in the Tour Championship.

Sadly for Zalatoris, that will not happen. His impressive season ends with nine top-10 finishes, runner-up finishes at the Farmers Insurance Open, PGA Championship and US Open, his maiden PGA Tour victory two weeks ago at the FedEx St Jude Championship and $9.4 million in earnings.

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