Will Zalatoris has a place near the top of the leaderboard going into the final round of the 2024 The Genesis Invitational at Riviera, the second PGA Tour Signature event of the year in the mainland United States. At 12-under total through 54 holes, Zalatoris could secure his second PGA Tour win against a solid field in the Los Angeles area.
Zalatoris is 27 years old, and he has status on the PGA Tour this season after winning in the 2021-2022 PGA Tour season.
In 2021, Zalatoris was on the verge of earning a PGA Tour card through the Korn Ferry Tour, but his status was able to garner starts on the PGA Tour that he ultimately parlayed into special temporary PGA Tour membership. In the end, Zalatoris finished runner-up in the 2021 Masters and practically locked up a spot on the PGA Tour as a full member in 2021-2022.
Zalatoris looks like Happy Gilmore's caddie
Will Zalatoris indeed looks like the young caddie Happy Gilmore has in the 1996 film. Of course, Zalatoris is not Happy Gilmore's caddie. The actor who was Happy Gilmore's caddie is Jared Van Snellenberg, who helped Happy at the Waterbury Open.
Zalatoris played collegiate golf at Wake Forest, and he's been an accomplished player for a long time. But he's also not even as old as "Happy Gilmore." He was born in 1997.
What a win at Riviera means
With a win today, Zalatoris would earn him the benefits of being a PGA Tour winner, including berths into the The Players in March, the Masters next April, the 2024 PGA Championship and British Open Championship in July. He would receive exempt status for the remainder of this season and the next two after that. And, according to the 2024 The Genesis Invitational payout, he would win $4 million to top it all off.
