Will Zalatoris quietly battled with heavy heart at The Genesis Invitational

After finishing up his final round, a tearful Zalatoris stepped up to the microphone in front of reporters and finally let his emotions out for the world to see. 

"I didn't say anything all week, but I ... sorry," he told reporters, followed by a long pause. "I lost a family member on Thursday, and she was with me all week."

The following day, Zalatoris made a hole-in-one on the 14th hole on his way to a 1-under 70. It was the second ace of his PGA Tour career, and even though his first came in a major championship, this one was even more special.

"You know, was pretty special on Friday to make that hole-in-one after... sorry," he said while fighting back tears. "Pretty special to make that hole-in-one on Friday after I found out on Thursday. She was with me all week."

Zalatoris put himself two shots back of the lead after a third-round 65, then he took the outright lead for the first time with a birdie on the par-4 13th hole in the final round. He failed to record a birdie in the last five holes, and Matsuyama shot six under on his back 9 to vault up the leaderboard and steal the tournament away. 

Still, it was a magnificent week for Zalatoris for a variety of reasons. Not only did he play with a heavy heart for the final three rounds, but this was just his fifth PGA Tour start since undergoing back surgery last season. 

He finished last in his first start back, missed the cut in his second and then went T34, T13 and T2 in his next three events. 

The 27-year-old is already back to his pre-surgery form, which is great news with major season just around the corner. For now, though, he's just focused on cherishing every moment.

"This whole week was for her," Zalatoris said of the unnamed family member. "My family can't be here no matter what would've happened, but very proud of how I played. Just shows you life is short and appreciate the moments, how lucky I am to be here."