Will Zalatoris — Rookie Sensation

WILL ZALATORIS

RoOKIE SENSATION

BY DOUG MILNE

For a guy who barely cracks the 150 pound mark standing on a scale, Will Zalatoris quickly established himself as one of the PGA TOUR’s heaviest hitters. The kind of early success, though, wasn’t something Zalatoris saw coming quite so soon. In 16 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2020, Zalatoris collected 10 Top-10 finishes. The highlight of that season was a victory at the TPC Colorado Championship. As successful as that season was, Zalatoris maintained the collected demeanor, which largely defines him, and never got ahead of himself. “Prior to last season, I could have never imagined having the success on TOUR that I did, that ultimately ended up with the ‘Rookie of the Year’ distinction,” Zalatoris said. “I had planned to spend another season on the Korn Ferry Tour to try and get my card that way. We think our careers should be a steady progression, but the reality is that it’s a lot of up-down-up-down. But, the general trend hopefully goes up. This past year was a pretty steep climb for me. So, that award was definitely not even on the radar.” So, what exactly did last season’s PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year do that surprised even him? In September of 2020, Zalatoris had made seven starts on TOUR, without even a top-25. In his next seven starts, though, beginning with a T-6 at the U.S. Open – he amassed four Top-10 finishes. “It was more fun than anything,” Zalatoris said. “I was coming from basically not having status and every week was just a chance to go win and get full status.”

The 2021 WM Phoenix Open was his second of seven-straight starts on TOUR, thanks to a sponsor exemption from tournament hosts, The Thunderbirds.

Following an even-par-71 start in round one, Zalatoris gained ground with a 4-under 66 and 6-under 64 in rounds two and three, respectively. Another even-par 71 in Sunday’s final round resulted in a T-17 finish at 12-under 272. “The thing that I keep laughing about with the WM Phoenix Open is that even though it wasn’t full spectators last year, I was still clubbing down because I was so jacked up to hit shots,” he laughed. “There is nothing like that event. It’s so much fun playing it. After watching it on TV as a kid and then to be a part of it is pretty cool.”

Among eight Top-10 finishes last season were a runner-up at the 2021 Masters, T-6 at the 2020 U.S. Open, T-7 at the Farmers Insurance Open and T-8 at the PGA Championship. As a result, Zalatoris went from being a young gun without a PGA TOUR card to the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year. Zalatoris got the 2021-22 season off to a strong start with a T-11 at the Fortinet Championship and T-14 in his next start at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He went into the holidays, though, with missed cuts in two of his last three starts.

“I know how to plan out my schedule this season,” he said. “Last season, I was kind of flying by the seat of my pants. If you’re in, you’re playing. If you’re not, you’re not. This year, being able to plan all the way out until at least June is huge. I can manage off time and build in some time to get away and take a break.” n

• 3 PIECES OF • PECAN

THUNDERBIRDS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FINDS COOKING ACCLAIM ON TIKTOK

When someone asks a 20-year golf industry executive and former member of the Oklahoma Sooner golf team whether he’s better at cooking dinner or playing golf, one would assume the answer would be the latter. For Chance Cozby, the executive director of The Thunderbirds – hosts of the WM Phoenix Open – the answer might be the former, at least according to his nearly 500,000 followers on TikTok. According to Cozby himself, there are good days and bad days for both.

Cozby has become a celebrity chef in the circles of the burgeoning social media platform TikTok, racking up millions of likes and views from fans all over the world who flock to the Tok to see his unique takes on homegrown recipes ranging from Tex-Mex to traditional Oklahoma BBQ. And while social media popularity is new to The Thunderbirds ED, cooking for friends and family runs in his Boomer Sooner blood.

Cozby grew up in the kitchen of his parents’ home in Bartlesville, Okla., where at a very young age, he developed a passion for cooking with his mother Karole in the kitchen and his father Jerry on the back patio where he picked up the nuances of preparing meals for family and friends.

Cozby and his father loved smoking ribs on their custom-built, offset smoker which, contrary to contemporary smoker practices, did not have a temperature gauge. Instead, Cozby’s father said, “just keep three pieces of Oklahoma pecan on the fire and your temperature will be just right.” From that quip, a new-age cooking channel was born – “3 Pieces of Pecan” – a homage to the wisdom passed to Cozby from his late father.

“Preparing big meals and getting everybody together has always been a big part of my life growing up and now with my family and friends,” said Cozby. “When we decided to start filming and sharing on social media I certainly did not expect the following or attention to grow so quickly. I find cooking on social media as great entertainment and I learn so much myself. It also will test your patience as the feedback is often very critical. If nothing else it is a great hobby for me that I never expected.”

On New Year’s Eve, 2020, Cozby’s youngest son Catcher encouraged him to film his family meal prep and published the videos on TikTok. Since then, he has posted more than 150 recipes that have been viewed more than 82 million times.

The popularity continues to grow for Cozby and Catcher –the director, cinematographer and video editor of the team –gaining enough buzz to be featured for Father’s Day on Good Morning America last June. A fitting bonus for a father-son duo who now can enjoy two family pastimes together – playing golf and preparing excellent meals. n