Tiger Woods’ Ex-coach Suggests Will Zalatoris Made a Mistake Rejecting LIV Golf Deal

Tiger Woods’ former coach, Hank Haney, has suggested Will Zalatoris should have accepted the massive LIV Golf deal two years ago. 

Haney’s comments came after Zalatoris announced he would be sidelined until at least autumn following surgery for a herniated disk. The 28-year-old had the surgery at the Texas Back Institute on Friday, May 23.

With a lengthy recovery on the cards, he will miss the third major of the year, the US Open, in June.

Will Zalatoris Turned Down LIV Golf in 2023

In 2023, LIV Golf reportedly offered Zalatoris a massive £100 million deal to switch over. While other top players, including Jon Rahm — who lost the 2025 PGA Championship to Scottie Scheffler by five strokes — made the lucrative switch, the Texan chose to stay with the PGA Tour.

Will Zalatoris has announced he had surgery last Friday for two herniated discs in his back. pic.twitter.com/HYLJIlhJG8

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) May 26, 2025

Masters winner in 1992, Fred Couples, who shares an agent with Zalatoris, commended his decision to stick with the considerably less monetarily rewarding PGA Tour.

“Money is zero object [for LIV],” said Couples (via The Mirror).

“I give Will a lot of credit; he wants [to keep playing on] the PGA Tour.”

Hank Haney Agrees Will Zalatoris Should Have Taken LIV Golf Deal As Injury Woes Continue

However, Zalatoris could not get the chance to bask in the glory, as he had to step away for a considerably period due to a niggling back problem. His injury denied him the opportunity to participate in the 2023 Ryder Cup.

After a small period of respite, the issue is back again, with the golfer expecting another lengthy period of absence. Concerned fan @dustin_kersey took to X (formerly Twitter) discussing Zalatoris’s woes, claiming he should have accepted the massive LIV Golf paycheque.

“Feel bad for Will…Guy was talked out of a massive deal with LIV that would have set him and his future family up for a few generations. , anyone who talks someone out of that kind of money doesn’t give a s*** about that person.”

Haney chose to repost it on his , seemingly suggesting he shared the sentiment. Although Woods’s former coach did not speak out, he, too, supposedly believes that Zalatoris should have accepted the LIV Golf payout.

When the LIV offer came along, Zalatoris had already established himself as one of the best players on the PGA Tour. His exploits were remarkable considering he only ed during the 2020-21 campaign.

Zalatoris has yet to win a major title, and this injury will keep him out of contention for 2025. He, however, has come agonisingly close on a couple of occasions. The American golfer came second in the Masters in 2021 and both the PGA Championship and the US Open in 2022.