Tiger Woods' former coach has his say after Will Zalatoris rejects £97m LIV deal
Following Will Zalatoris ' latest injury blow, Hank Haney, Tiger Woods' former coach, has hinted that the PGA Tour star might have been wise to accept a £97million offer from LIV Golf. Zalatoris, born in Dallas, saw his hopes for the 2023 Ryder Cup dashed due to injury.
A recurring back issue, which led to season-ending surgery two years ago, has once again flared up, ruling him out of starring at Bethpage Black in September. On Monday, the 28-year-old announced he would be sidelined until at least autumn after undergoing surgery for a herniated disk.
This extends his time away from the PGA Tour, following Fred Couples' revelations that the American had declined a jaw-dropping offer to join the breakaway LIV circuit two years ago.
With Zalatoris out of action and his chances to earn substantial PGA prize money on hold, Haney, who mentored Woods from 2004 to 2010, suggested via social media that the Texan might have been better off accepting the lucrative offer from the Saudi-backed tour.
In the same year that players like Jon Rahm switched to LIV, it was reported that Zalatoris rejected a near £100m proposal. Former Masters champion Couples, who shares an agent with Zalatoris, was asked about the offer that surfaced two years ago and commended him for sticking to his principles.
"Money is zero object [for LIV]," golf legend Couples remarked in 2023, as he admired Zalatoris' commitment to stay on the PGA Tour, adding: "I give Will a lot of credit; he wants [to keep playing on] the PGA Tour."
But not long after his decision, Zalatoris had to step away due to back problems that started troubling him in 2022, sparking debate whether refusing the lucrative LIV offer was wise, given his ability to earn even while sidelined.
Zalatoris has now faced further challenges with the injury re-emerging, leading to his announcement of undergoing surgery at the Texas Back Institute on Friday, reports the Mirror US.
"I'm happy to say that I woke up feeling good and excited about my long-term back health," read a statement from Zalatoris. "Time to focus on my recovery and get back after it. Thank you to my team, friends, and family for being there for me throughout this journey. Looking forward to seeing everyone in the fall."
Amidst his ongoing health issues, a concerned fan took to the social media platform X, expressing sympathy and suggesting that rejecting LIV may not have been the best idea.
"Feel bad for Will," they began. "Guy was talked out of a massive deal with LIV that would have set him and his future family up for a few generations. Remember, anyone who talks someone out of that kind of money doesn't give a s*** about that person."
Coach Haney reposted this, and such an act suggests he might share the sentiment, implying that Zalatoris could have erred by passing up the millions from LIV.
At the time of the LIV offer, Zalatoris had already made a name for himself as one of the PGA Tour's top players, making an immediate impact despite only joining the circuit during the 2020-21 season.
He impressively finished second at the Masters in 2021 and also claimed the runner-up spot at both the PGA Championship and US Open in 2022. This recent setback will rob him of any chance at a first major title this year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Tiger Woods and Vanessa Trump ‘are wedding bells serious' as smitten couple's relationship takes major step forward
TIGER WOODS and Vanessa Trump are reportedly almost ready to take the next step in their relationship. It was first revealed in March that the legendary golfer, 49, was dating Trump, 47. 3 3 They had originally hoped to keep the relationship under wraps. Amid rampant speculation, Woods eventually confirmed they were dating weeks later. But now their romance is heating up fast. So fast, that according to Page Six, they may even be considering marriage in the not too distant future. A source told the outlet: "They're very serious. "Wedding bells serious." The source added: "She's so happy! "She's finally found happiness. "She's found happiness for the first time in her life." Two-time PGA Tour winner Brian Henninger exclusively told SunSport how their blossoming romance had surprised him. I played golf with Tiger Woods but he was a ghost behind the scenes - his romance with Vanessa Trump surprised me He said: 'Tiger Woods is not a person you're going to go and hang out with. 'He's not eating with you in the lunchroom. He's pleasant though. He'd say 'Hi Brian'. He knows a little bit about everybody, he does his research. 'I'll never forget the first time I met him. We were at the Western Open, we're in this fitness trailer, they were stretching us or something. 'He goes 'hey, I saw your Trojans got beat by Stanford the other night'. I mean, I've never met him. So I think he's one of those prepared guys in any situation. 'Behind the scenes, he was a ghost to most of us. We didn't really know about his life off the course. We know what the media shared with us, but I didn't really know that lifestyle. 'He was a natural show off. He had so much popularity and it's incredible. 'I didn't get to travel and own mansions, private jets and have Michael Jordan as my best friend…even though I'd love to be a fly on the wall for that stuff. 'But he didn't show signs on the golf course of being affected by any of it. 'Scottie Scheffler is coming along doing similar things. I don't know all the matrix behind it, but they are very close in terms of how many times they've won at a certain age and all the accomplishments. 'They can just turn it on and off. I mean, they get to the golf course and they're like different human beings." 3
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Emma Raducanu knocked out - but Britain can still have a Wimbledon champion
It was obvious from watching Sonay Kartal's showdown with Coco Gauff at Wimbledon last year that she was set for a massive future in tennis. That's exactly why I tipped the British No.3 as my One to Watch at the start of the 2025 Championships, along with her unstoppable surge up the WTA rankings, rather than the likes of Emma Raducanu or Katie Boulter. Kartal was No.298 in the world when she took on American world No.2 superstar Gauff last year, pushing her extremely hard in the first set. Her power and precision makes her a true force on grass and I can remember myself – and a number of other journalists – being blown away by Kartal's aggressive baseline play on that sunny afternoon on Court 1. It was from that moment that I knew we were looking at a future British No.1. Gauff eventually showed her quality but it proved to be a valuable lesson for Kartal, who has got better and better since that third-round defeat, and is now the last British woman left in the Wimbledon singles after Raducanu and Boulter lost to Aryna Sabalenka and Solana Sierra respectively. Kartal landed her first WTA Tour title at the Jasmin Open after her battle with Gauff and 2025 has seen the 23-year-old break into the world top 50. Having reached the last 16 at Wimbledon this year, with a brilliant 6-4 6-2 victory over Diane Parry, here's everything you need to know about Britain's next big thing, who could genuinely become our next Grand Slam winner… Kartal, known for her love of fitness, first picked up a tennis racket at the age of six and idolised Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters in her youth. Her early years in tennis weren't easy as a number of injury problems halted her progress but she never stopped believing she was on the right path. 'I played football and cricket as well as a kid [but] I think once I committed to tennis, I always felt like tennis was the one,' Kartal explained. 'I always felt like I was slightly different as a player to most players at the time that I was growing up with. I had a lot of belief. I had good people around me that really backed me and said that I just needed a good run, I could have a breakout year. So tennis, despite me being sidelined for years on and off, was still always the goal for me.' Usually donning a boxy polo shirt and long shorts with her tattoos – Kartal isn't what you'd expect a stereotypical women's tennis player to look like – and doesn't have the pristine aesthetic widely seen on the WTA Tour. It's refreshing. There's something quite Billie Eilish-esque about the way she dresses and presents herself. She's a little unique and perhaps more relatable for some young girls. After competing on the ITF Circuit in 2021, Kartal made her WTA Tour debut the following year before being handed a Wimbledon wildcard. Her breakthrough came at Wimbledon 2024, becoming Britain's first female qualifier to reach the third round in 27 years at the All England Club. Kartal is notably strong – both physically and mentally – and is able to use deep, penetrating groundstrokes to control rallies during her matches. Due to her strength, her biggest weapon is her forehand, which allows Kartal to dictate points, especially on a grass court where the play is faster. Former Wimbledon finalist and tennis coach Olga Morozova spoke exclusively to Metro about Kartal's best attributes earlier this summer. 'All the British girls know grass much better than anyone else because they started playing on it earlier than others,' Morozova said. 'Kartal is doing very, very good this year. She is strong physically, great legs and she has a good slice which works well on grass.' Kartal stunned 20th-seed and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in her opening match at Wimbledon this year. The British world No.51 then followed that up with straight-set wins over Bulgarian world No.111 Viktoriya Tomova and French world No.118 Parry. Speaking ahead of her next match, a last-16 battle with Russian world No.50 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Kartal explained how she had learnt lessons from that Wimbledon clash with Gauff 12 months ago. 'I'm not going to lie, I was pretty nervous walking out there,' Kartal said after her win over Parry, in which she was 4-1 down in the first set at one point. 'It's a big court with a match that has a lot of meaning to me. Obviously last year, that was also in the back of my mind, losing to Coco on the same court in the same round. 'I tried to take everything I learnt from that match and put it into play on the court. Tried to relax as best as I could. Having been 4-1 down, I just tried to get back on the scoreboard one by one. 'I think last year's match helped me a lot. I think I left that court last year feeling like I didn't play my best level [in the second set] because of the nerves I was carrying.' For those of you believing it's too farfetched to think Kartal can genuinely land the Venus Rosewater Dish, I'd like to politely remind you that last year's Wimbledon women's singles champion was very much unseeded. More Trending There are also less top players that Kartal will need to deal with should she continue to progress at the tournament. Second-seed Gauff and world No.3 Jessica Pegula crashed out in the first round, as did fifth-seed Zheng Qinwen and world No.9 Paula Badosa to blow the draw wide open. Jasmine Paolini, seeded fourth and last year's runner-up, lost in the second round while world No.6 Madison Keys was eliminated in the third round. It means Kartal has a massive opportunity – and she's ready for whoever is left standing in her way. 'I'm super determined,' Kartal added. 'When I set my mind to something, I want to achieve it. I want to prove to myself that I can do it, as well.' MORE: How an Andy Murray tactic has helped British tennis star's superb Wimbledon run MORE: 'Not the first time' – Carlos Alcaraz overheard making Wimbledon complaint to umpire MORE: Wimbledon day 6 order of play: What time are Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner playing?
Rhyl Journal
2 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Carlos Alcaraz comes through ‘stressful' Jan-Lennard Struff test
The defending champion looked to be cruising to a 21st consecutive match win when he breezed through the opening set. But 6ft 4in Struff strutted his stuff in the second, firing down 139mph missiles before shocking second seed Alcaraz when he clinched the crucial break for 5-3 before levelling the match. However Alcaraz, who needed five sets to overcome veteran Fabio Fognini in the first round, gathered himself to win 6-1 3-6 6-3 in two hours and 25 minutes. 'I knew it was going to be really difficult and I had to be focused on every shot,' said the 22-year-old Spaniard. 'His game suits the grass, big serves, coming to the net, so I'm pleased with everything I did today. Proud to get the win in four sets. 'To be honest I was suffering in every service game I did. Lots of break points down. It was stressful.' Next up for the five-time grand slam champion is Russian 14th seed Andrey Rublev. Taylor Fritz has been on court for so long this week he could soon be eligible for squatter's rights. CARLITOS BRINGING THE 🔥 He defeats Struff 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-4…@Wimbledon | #Wimbledon — ATP Tour (@atptour) July 4, 2025 The American fifth seed came through two marathon five-setters spread over three days to reach the third round, while a three-hour 12-minute win over Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in four has also taken its toll. 'I wouldn't be surprised if I'm a bit sore after this match, because even though it was four, it was much more physical than my other two matches,' he said. 'I did a lot more side-to-side running in the heat as well. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm a bit sore. But overall I'm feeling good.' Fritz will face Australian Jordan Thompson, who beat Luciano Darderi, also in four sets. Thompson, who is hindered by back problems, is in the last 16 for the first time. Fiery Italian Darderi was angered when Thompson's cap came off during a rally with the 31-year-old catching it and going on to win the point – had it hit the ground he would have lost it. Brazil's rising teenage star Joao Fonseca disappointed his legion of noisy fans after he lost the all-South American showdown with Nicolas Jarry. Chilean qualifier Jarry secured a fourth-round meeting with Britain's Cameron Norrie after a 6-3 6-4 3-6 7-6 (4) victory on a raucous Court Two.
