Ewan Murray’s report is in, so it’s time to say farewell to Southern Hills after a dramatic day of major-championship golf. Congratulations to two-time major champion Justin Thomas; commiserations to Will Zalatoris and Mito Pereira; and thank you, dear reader, for sticking with us until the bitter end. See you for the US Open next month in Brookline. Nighty night!
-5: Thomas, Zalatoris (Thomas wins three-hole play-off)
-4: Young, Pereira
-3: Fleetwood, Kirk, Fitzpatrick
-2: McIlroy
-1: Steele, Hoge, Ancer, Power
E: Hatton, Rose, Smith, Schauffele, Riley, Herbert, Homa
+1: Gooch, Burns, Simpson
The 2017 and 2022 PGA champion Justin Thomas speaks to Sky. “It’s very very special. Any time you win is obviously great, but getting it done in different ways teaches you a lot. It’s a great learning opportunity. I fought so hard today. I was out of it, then back in. This golf course is tough, winning a major is tough. I stayed patient and when I somehow got myself in that play-off, it was time to get after it and get it done. I didn’t look at a leaderboard today. We were just out there playing Southern Hills on a beautiful day. I knew all the players ahead of me were great players, but they hadn’t won a major, and it’s a big moment. I know I’m very nervous, so I know they’re very nervous. All I could do was control what I can, and if it’s good enough, great, but if not, so be it. It’s so nice to hear two-time instead of one-time!”
Will Zalatoris, who now has a second-place finish at the PGA to go alongside his second at the 2021 Masters, plus three other top-ten finishes at the majors, talks to Sky. “I’m proud of the way I fought. JT went out and got it in the play-off. I didn’t have my best stuff yesterday which was the difference in the end, but I’m gonna get one soon! I’ve been knocking at the door in these majors for a while and one’s gonna come soon! I felt the entire day I was behind the eight-ball, I had to keep fighting. I came up one short, it stings, but we’re going to get one soon.”
Here comes JT, the man who has just defeated the best field in golf. “It was a bizarre day. I stayed so patient and couldn’t believe I found myself in a play-off.” He’s handed the huge Wanamaker Trophy, and hoists it in glee. No wonder he feels slightly dazed at what he’s just done: he’s tied the record for the largest comeback on Sunday in PGA Championship history, tying the effort of John Mahaffey, who overhauled Tom Watson from seven back in 1978!
The presentation of the Wanamaker Trophy is coming up. In the meantime, here’s how the leaderboard looked at the end of a dramatic week.
-5: Thomas, Zalatoris (Thomas wins three-hole play-off)
-4: Young, Pereira
-3: Fleetwood, Kirk, Fitzpatrick
-2: McIlroy
-1: Steele, Hoge, Ancer, Power
E: Hatton, Rose, Smith, Schauffele, Riley, Herbert, Homa
+1: Gooch, Burns, Simpson
Tears and smiles for JT, who has waited a while for his second major title. Zalatoris offers his hearty congratulations. It’s a thoroughly deserved victory! Like Pereira, Fitzpatrick and Young, Zalatoris didn’t really bring his best stuff to the party today. Thomas certainly did, seizing the day with a stunning final round of 67, coming back in 32. And now it’s over, everything suddenly snaps into focus: he’s been the best player all week. Amid all the final-day hubbub, it’s been easy to forget that he had the worst of the weather during the opening two rounds, yet still shot a pair of 67s. The 29-year-old from Kentucky is a class act, and you strongly suspect now he’s a multiple major winner, he’ll go on to add some more!
Thomas has a good think about the left-to-right slider. He tickles it down the slope. The ball threatens to drop but curls just behind the hole. A tap-in, and Justin Thomas is the winner of the 2022 PGA Championship!
After third play-off hole (18)
-2: Thomas
-1: Zalatoris
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Zalatoris most likely needs to sink this long birdie putt, because you can’t see Thomas taking three from where he is. He gives it a good run, but it always kinks off to the left. He’ll have a three-footer for par ... but that means Thomas now has two putts from 15, maybe 20 feet, to win!
Thomas has birdied six of his last 12 holes. Zalatoris by contrast has only made two in his last 15. The momentum is certainly with the 2017 champion. Can Zalatoris respond, now he really needs another? He whips his approach into the green, but the ball rolls back and threatens to topple off the front. The fringe stops it. He’s a good 40 feet away. Thomas turns the screw, knocking his second pin high, maybe 15 feet away. Advantage Thomas. Serious advantage Thomas.
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To the 18th, then, the scene of Mito Pereira’s watery grave. Thomas takes driver ... and looks after his ball anxiously as it flirts with the creek down the right. It’s fine, though, kicking back into the fairway, and he’s not obstructed by the trees down that side. Zalatoris cracks a 3-wood down the middle.
Zalatoris has just enough room between collar and ball to get his wedge in there. That allows him to impart a little spin on the ball, and he screeches it ten feet from the pin. Thomas rolls his first putt up to three feet. Zalatoris can’t make his birdie putt - it’s always missing on the right, a good roll but a misread - and Thomas finishes up to give himself a one-shot advantage going up the last! Rich reward for a stunning 3-wood into the green.
After second play-off hole (17)
-2: Thomas
-1: Zalatoris
Thomas has made two pars and two birdies on 17 this week. He’s looking good for at least another birdie, because he creams a 3-wood into the heart of the green! Maybe 30 feet from the flag. Pressure on Zalatoris, who flirts with the hazard to the right of the green. His ball stops by the collar of the rough, which will make his lob over the bunker onto the dancefloor that much harder.
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Thomas’s birdie putt suddenly looks an awful lot longer. He prowls around before setting himself and rolling it straight into the cup. Both players open with birdie four!
After first play-off hole (13)
-1: Zalatoris, Thomas
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Thomas sends a stunning chip from 80 yards to five feet! He’ll have an uphill look at birdie from six feet or so. Over to Zalatoris, who lines up his eagle putt from 30 feet. He rolls it to tap-in distance, and that’s birdie for Zalatoris!
This is the first play-off in the PGA since 2011, when Keegan Bradley saw off Jason Dufner. It’s the first play-off in a major since Sergio Garcia defeated Justin Rose at the 2017 Masters. Should Thomas win this, he’ll equal the PGA Championship comeback record set by John Mahaffey in 1978, having started the day seven shots back. Thomas punches out from the rough on the right, more than happy to lay up and let his wedge do its thing. Zalatoris takes 6-iron from the middle of the fairway and draws one into the heart of the green. Pin high, and a slight early advantage to Zalatoris!
The play-off, then. The winner of the 2022 PGA Championship will be decided by an aggregate score over three holes: 13, 17 and 18. Thomas sends his drive at 13 down the right, while Zalatoris splits the fairway. It’s on!
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Oh, this is so difficult to watch. A camera catches him in the tent checking his card. His head in both hands. A gentle sob? Not sure. You couldn’t blame the poor guy if that’s the case. He ruffles his hair to clear his head, and is soon comforted by his compatriot Joaquin Niemann. Chile still waits for its first major champion. Pereira entered the day having made 19 consecutive par-or-better rounds; what a time to break that run with a five-over 75. But he’s announced himself as a player of note. He’ll be back.
Mito Pereira rolls in his putt. Double bogey, and the big Chilean smiles bravely. Your heart breaks for him. But these things happen down the stretch on Sunday. Justin Thomas and Will Zalatoris will contest a three-hole aggregate play-off. Stay tuned!
-5: Thomas (F), Zalatoris (F)
-4: Young (F), Pereira (F)
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A par and a 73 for Matt Fitzpatrick. He ends the week at -3. He never got going today, but it’s his first top-five finish at a major.
Nope. Pereira leaves his putt well short. This isn’t quite up there with Jean van de Velde at the 1999 Open, but it’s in that heartbreaking arena. Poor Mito. The pressures of major championship Sunday, right there.
Pereira lines up the chip of his life. He’s made some huge saves. Can he make one last up and down? He bumps a wedge onto the green, but his ball takes a slight flyer. It never threatens to break left towards the cup, instead running through the green and just off the other side. Out comes the putter, and now he’s lining up the putt of his life. Can he salvage a bogey for a place in the play-off?
Pereira takes his drop and will be hitting three into the green. Like Zalatoris before him, he’s got to hit a big left-to-right iron around the tree. He gets the length, but not the cut he wants. His ball bounces through the green and into the thick cabbage behind. He’ll need to chip in if he’s to secure the PGA Championship right here, right now. More realistically, he’ll need to get up and down for a spot in a play-off with Thomas and Zalatoris. As he reaches the green, the gallery ripples with sympathetic applause.
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What drama here! Mito Pereira unsheathes the driver, and gives it everything. A huge slice takes his ball sailing towards trouble down the right. Down the bank and into the drink it goes. Oh my. And up on the green, Will Zalatoris chips up from 35 yards to eight feet, then rolls in a par saver that may well get him into a play-off! All eyes on Pereira now. He’ll do well to limit the damage to bogey.
-6: Pereira (17)
-5: Thomas (F), Zalatoris (F)
-4: Young (F)
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Fitzpatrick can’t make his par putt, and his race is run. The bogey drops him to -3. He’s never been on top of his game today. All good experience, though. Meanwhile some outrageously bad luck for Pereira, who looks for all the world to have made his birdie putt, but it suddenly stops one dimple short of the cup. The ball suddenly put on the brakes! He taps in for par, and for all the drama, is still a shot clear. One more par, and he’ll have made it!
-6: Pereira (17)
-5: Thomas (F), Zalatoris (17)
-4: Young (17)
Fitzpatrick is indeed dry, and the lie on the bank isn’t so bad. Only problem is, he’s not got much room for error if he wants to get his chip close, needing to land his ball just over the lip of the bunker. He doesn’t make it, and has to whip his third shot out of the sand. He doesn’t get particularly close, and will have a 20-footer for par. Meanwhile on 18, Zalatoris manufactures a huge slice around the tree, but doesn’t take enough club and his ball topples off the false front of the green and back down the fairway. This is all falling nicely for Pereira, who back on 17 chips conservatively onto the green and will have a look at birdie from 12 feet.
Once they clear the green, Matt Fitzpatrick sends his tee shot towards the creek running across the fairway. Is he wet? Not sure yet. Ah, no, but the lie might not be ideal. Still, better that than taking a penalty drop. Mito Pereira meanwhile batters a drive that disappears down a swale to the left of the green. He’s got up and down from far worse positions today. Meanwhile up on 18, Will Zalatoris finds the fairway with his drive, but he’s tight on the right-hand side and will probably have to shape something around the tree that overhangs that part of the hole.
From the 17th tee, Will Zalatoris sends a power fade into the bunker to the right of the green. He splashes out to five feet, and makes the birdie putt! He’s not out of this yet! Neither, not quite, is Cameron Young, who also birdies the short par-four. This is golf!
-6: Pereira (16)
-5: Thomas (F), Zalatoris (17)
-4: Young (17), Fitzpatrick (16)
Justin Thomas gives his birdie putt a good old rattle. He’s read the line correctly, right to left, and it would have dropped had the adrenaline not won out. But it’s a par, back in 32 for a 67. A wonderful effort, though he scrunches up his eyes and cocks his head back in frustration, a Pez dispenser of despondency. He’s the new clubhouse leader at -5, but that might not be quite enough, and yesterday’s miserable 74 might prove very costly indeed.
-6: Pereira (16)
-5: Thomas (F)
-4: Zalatoris (16), Fitzpatrick (16)
-3: Fleetwood (F), Kirk (F), Young (16)
From the centre of 18, with everything on the line, Justin Thomas sends his 8-iron over the flag. His ball comes to a halt 15 feet away. But it’s not all good news for the 2017 champion, because back on 16, Mito Pereira demonstrates world-class moxie by curling in his left-to-right par putt! That was very missable, but in it goes, and the 27-year-old Chilean debutant remains a shot clear! He’s not brought his best stuff today, but he’s flat-out refusing to buckle! He’s made some saves today.
-6: Pereira (16)
-5: Thomas (17)
-4: Zalatoris (16), Fitzpatrick (16)
-3: Fleetwood (F), Kirk (F), Young (16)
Thomas cracks a drive miles down the middle of 18. He’s in perfect position. What would a birdie do here? Pereira mishits his second into 16 and leaves himself well short of the green ... then overcooks his chip, leaving himself a 12-footer for par coming back. Meanwhile Fitzpatrick sends his second pin high and will have a look at birdie from about 25 feet. Good luck predicting how this is going to end!
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It all goes south in double-quick time for poor Cameron Young. He sends his second at 16 into the bunker Justin Thomas nearly holed out from. He barely covers half the distance with his sand wedge, then underhits his putt woefully. He ends up with a double, and that’s the 25-year-old debutant’s race run. He’s -3. A three-putt bogey meanwhile for his partner Will Zalatoris, and suddenly Justin Thomas is the only player right on Mito Pereira’s shoulder.
-6: Pereira (15)
-5: Thomas (17)
-4: Zalatoris (16), Fitzpatrick (15)
-3: Fleetwood (F), Kirk (F), Young (16)
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... Thomas gets up and down from the sand on 17 for birdie! This leaderboard is bunching up nicely as we approach the business end of the week!
-6: Pereira (15)
-5: Thomas (17), Zalatoris (15), Young (15)
-4: Fitzpatrick (15)
-3: Fleetwood (F), Kirk (F)
Now then! Now then! Matt Fitzpatrick has done next to nothing right all day. He hangs his head as he sends a dreadful second shot wide right and long of 15. But he whips a delicious chip out of the oomska, sending his ball rolling elegantly across the green and into the cup! One of those that looked in all the way. And that spooks Pereira, who manages to miss his birdie putt to the right! How did that not break left, like it did for Thomas and Zalatoris before him? Anyway, just the par. Fitzpatrick rises to -4, while elsewhere ...
Pereira’s approach to 15 ends up where Thomas and Zalatoris have recently found themselves. Eight feet away, facing a gentle right-to-left slider. Neither Thomas nor Zalatoris read it properly. Can the leader? If he works it out, he’ll go two clear again. Thomas meanwhile sends his 3-wood from the tee at 17 into a greenside bunker. What he’d give for an up and down from there. Some big moments coming up.
Just for a second, it looks as though Justin Thomas has holed a long bunker shot at 16. He splashes out crisply, the ball releasing 80 feet across the green and stopping eight inches short. So close to a sensational birdie. He has to settle for par and remains -4 ... where he’s now just two off the lead, Mito Pereira sending a lob over a bunker from a tight lie at the back of 14 to 12 feet, but missing the par putt on the right. Meanwhile Will Zalatoris is unable to convert a fine birdie chance on 15, having creamed his second to eight feet. The chance of a share of the lead dies off to the left.
-6: Pereira (14)
-5: Zalatoris (15), Young (15)
-4: Thomas (16)
... so having said all that, Pereira pulls his tee shot at the par-three 14th long and left. He’s made some big up and downs to save his par today. If he can’t make another here, the gap at the top closes again.
A slip-up by Cameron Young. He sends his tee shot at 14 into a greenside bunker, and can’t get up and down. Par for Will Zalatoris, who is hanging on but can’t get anything going. Fitzpatrick does well to wedge his third to ten feet after that wild approach, but his birdie putt lips out. Finally Pereira can’t make his eagle putt, the ball dying to the right, but the birdie is enough to give him a two-shot lead. He seems in total control of his emotions - his sensational par saves at 9 and 10 illustrated that - although it’s easy to forget he’s on debut in this championship, and inside he must be churning.
-7: Pereira (13)
-5: Zalatoris (14), Young (14)
-4: Thomas (15)
-3: Fleetwood (F), Kirk (F), Fitzpatrick (13)
This could be the carpe-diem moment for Mito Pereira! He finds the par-five 13th in two big booms, and he’ll have a look at eagle from 20 feet. He runs after the second shot with a skip and a jump, an ersatz take on Sergio Garcia at Medinah back in 1999. The rush of energy betrays his excitement. He realises the potential here to put some space between himself and the field. Fitzpatrick meanwhile pulls his second miles left. Right now, he appears mentally shot.
A big chance for the 2017 champion Justin Thomas on 15. He hits a lovely draw to eight feet ... only to misread the putt, which breaks off to the left. He remains at -4, and a huge chance to put some scoreboard pressure on those ahead of him is gone.
Mito Pereira can’t save his par on 12, looking discombobulated as his ball stubbornly stays up on the high side. Par for Matt Fitzpatrick. Disappointing pars at the par-five 13th for Cameron Young and Will Zalatoris. Chris Kirk pars the last for a 68, and he joins Tommy Fleetwood in the clubhouse at -3. This is getting bunched now.
-6: Young (13), Pereira (12)
-5: Zalatoris (13)
-4: Thomas (14)
-3: Fleetwood (F), Kirk (F), Fitzpatrick (12)
-2: McIlroy (F), Riley (17)
Par for Tommy Fleetwood on 18, and he ends the week with a superb 67. He came back in 31 shots, with five birdies in the last seven holes. After a quiet couple of years in the majors, he’s back, baby! He’s the new clubhouse leader at -3.
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Pereira sends his drive at 12 behind a tree down the left. He’s forced to chip out. It’s an opportunity for Fitzpatrick to get back into this, but his short iron from the centre of the fairway is bang average. On the green, but nowhere near the flag. Pereira then shows him how it’s done by wedging pin high, eight feet from the pin. He’ll have a good chance of saving his par.
Will Zalatoris bogeys 12, the result of zig-zagging his way up the hole, finding the rough on both sides. Eagle for Chris Kirk on 17, reward for driving the green. The 37-year-old from Tennessee is suddenly -3 and on course for his first-ever top-ten finish at a major. And on 11, Fitzpatrick is dry, but his chip up is no good, and that’s another shot gone. He slips to -3, and with Pereira parring calmly, allows his head to drop.
-7: Pereira (11)
-6: Young (12)
-5: Zalatoris (12)
-4: Thomas (13)
Fitzpatrick is getting extremely ragged. He pulls his 8-iron at the par-three 11th into the hazard to the left of the green. Not sure whether that’s got as far as the drink. Perhaps his ball has snagged on the grassy bank. His bid for glory could depend on that. Meanwhile Pereira is just on the green, but a good 50 feet short of the flag. A lot of nerves jangling already.
Fitzpatrick can’t get up and down from the back of 10. Bogey sends him back to -4. Pereira however sends a magical lob high into the air, landing his ball 18 inches from the cup. He escapes with a par that looked a certain bogey for the second hole in a row. He remains one clear at -7.
A fourth birdie in a row for Tommy Fleetwood! It’s his fifth in six holes. This one, at 17, moves him to -3. Up on 18, Rory McIlroy finishes with a par and signs for an ultimately disappointing 68 that promised so much more. His week in microcosm, really, after the hope that came with his opening round of 65. He’s the new clubhouse leader at -2.
Cameron Young sends his tee shot at 11 pin high. He’s left with a straight 15-footer for a birdie and a share of the lead ... but his putt lips out. Par, a score matched by Zalatoris. Back on 10, Pereira pulls a wedge from the centre of the fairway and his ball goes racing down a bank and into thick rough, while Fitzpatrick sends his over the back. Very poor shots, and ones that may open the door for folk further down the leaderboard. Speaking of which, it’s another birdie for Justin Thomas, this time at 12, and the 2017 champ is closing in!
-7: Pereira (9)
-6: Zalatoris (11), Young (11)
-5: Fitzpatrick (9)
-4: Thomas (12)
The final group hits the turn on Sunday afternoon. Welcome to the start of the 2022 PGA Championship!
Pereira does extremely well to splash out to 12 feet past the hole. There really wasn’t much more he could have done from where his ball was in the bunker, on the downslope, and with little green between bunker and flag. Then he curls in the par saver! That could be huge, mainly in terms of momentum and spirit, because he was staring at a third bogey in a row there, but also because he holds onto sole ownership of the lead. Fitzpatrick pars.
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Tommy Fleetwood makes it four birdies in five holes by curling in a 30-footer on 16. He rises to -2. Another big putt drops on 12, Justin Thomas’s second birdie rake in a row, and he’s -3. Too late? Speaking of which, Rory McIlroy’s long run of pars comes to an end ... with bogey at the driveable par-four 17th. He slips back to -2.
Fitzpatrick whistles his drive at 9 into the trees down the right. He benefits from a huge break, though, offered a route to the green down an avenue. He fires a low iron under the branches and onto the fringe at the back of the green! That’s a fine result from where he was. Pereira sends his tee shot into a similar position, and isn’t quite so lucky, his chip out running across the green and into the bunker on the left. He’s shortsided, and on a downslope. If he can get that close, it’ll be little short of a miracle.
Things change quickly. On 9, Cameron Young knocks his second pin high, ten feet left of the flag. In goes the birdie putt. Par for Will Zalatoris. Meanwhile back on 8, Matt Fitzpatrick gets up and down from sand, but Mito Pereira, having sent a weak tee shot well to the right, flubs his chip, and can’t salvage the situation with a 12-foot putt. Just one in it again!
-7: Pereira (8)
-6: Zalatoris (9), Young (9)
-5: Fitzpatrick (8)
-3: McIlroy (16), Thomas (11)
-1: Steele (17), Fleetwood (15), Riley (14), Kirk (14), Herbert (12), Power (10), Ancer (10)
Tommy Fleetwood is making a late charge up the leaderboard. Nothing that will bother the folk right at the top, but enough to make a good chunk of change. Birdies at 12, 14 and 15 bring him up to -1 and a tie for eighth. Meanwhile on 11, Justin Thomas, who has been quiet so far today, sends a tramliner into the cup for a birdie that moves him to -3. With a few holes still to play, the 2017 champ isn’t quite out of this yet!
Having been forced to lay up, Pereira wedges straight at the flag and gives himself an uphill look at par from ten feet. But he pulls the putt, and that bogey will give the field a little succour. A calm two-putt par for Fitzpatrick. Meanwhile up ahead on 8, Zalatoris chips up to six feet, and curls in the par saver, thus avoiding three bogeys in a row. He’s managed to get through a very shaky three holes without too much damage; a couple of dropped shots, yes, but it could have been so much worse. Young meanwhile severely mishits his first putt, the ball bobbling up into the air and stopping well short, and ends up with a three-putt bogey.
-8: Pereira (7)
-6: Zalatoris (8)
-5: Young (8), Fitzpatrick (7)
-3: McIlroy (16)
-2: Thomas (10), Power (9)
A little bit of hope for the chasing hovering pack, as Pereira clatters his tee shot at 7 into trees down the left, and can only take his medicine by chipping out. Fitzpatrick is on in regulation. Up on 16, another McIlroy birdie putt lips out. He’s been stuck at -3 for ten holes now, and it’s not been for the lack of effort.
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Zalatoris is feeling the heat all right. Another par-three, another dice with disaster. He pull-hooks his tee shot at 8 towards the creek back left of the green. The thick grass stops the ball getting wet, just like it did for Young back on the previous hole. He’s in the hazard, but he’s left with an uphill chip, so it’s not totally disastrous. But unless he can fashion an up and down, he’s staring at three dropped shots in a row. Young’s tee shot meanwhile was straight at the green but a club short.
Another dropped shot for Will Zalatoris. He sends his second at 7 into a bunker on the left, from where he’s shortsided. He does well to splash out to ten feet, but can’t make the putt. Back-to-back birdies are followed by back-to-back bogeys. He’s -6 again, and Mito Pereira’s lead is now three. But there’s a big stroke of luck for Cameron Young, who slices his second towards the creek on the right. His ball snags in the thick rough to the side of the drink, and he’s able to hack out from the hazard to four feet. He completes a brilliant up and down to remain at -6.
-9: Pereira (6)
-6: Young (6), Zalatoris (6)
Back-to-back bogeys for Abraham Ancer at 7 and 8. The 31-year-old Mexican’s race looks run as he drops to -2. On 6, Matt Fitzpatrick does extremely well to limit the damage to bogey, wedging from the drop zone to five feet and making the putt. Par for Pereira, who is suddenly back in charge of this tournament.
-9: Pereira (6)
-7: Zalatoris (6)
-6: Young (6)
-5: Fitzpatrick (6)
-3: McIlroy (15)
Zalatoris and Young have a different problem now: they need to catch up on the group ahead, having fallen nearly 15 minutes behind. They quickly crack their drives down 7. Back on 6, Pereira finds the heart of the green with his tee shot ... but Fitzpatrick pulls his 5-iron, and it doesn’t get over the drink. Splash! He drops his head, disgusted with himself. To be fair, the long wait while Zalatoris and the referees had their pow-wow won’t have helped him there, but still.
Two referees are on the scene. This needs an awful lot of working out. Problem is, even once he’s got relief from the TV tower, which is in his line, he has to drop on the cart path. And while he’s entitled to relief from that, the only places no nearer to the flag are back in the bush! So in the end he drops on the path, and then chips up from that. Keeping admirably calm, he chips up from the concrete to five feet, then steers in the left-to-right putt to limit the damage to bogey! “An up and down from the cart path that would make Seve smile!” coos Nick Dougherty on Sky Sports, speaking for everyone. What a sensational escape! Zalatoris drops back to -7, but that’ll feel like a birdie, because he could have easily run up a double or triple bogey there! If he goes on to win this tournament, you’ll be seeing that once or twice again!
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Zalatoris has found his ball in the bush behind the 6th green, but with cart paths and TV towers in the immediate environs, the drop will take some negotiation with the official. Adding insult to injury, back on 5, Pereira tidies up to regain sole ownership of the lead. With Zalatoris in all sorts of bother, expect the gap at the top to grow very soon. Par for Fitzpatrick.
-9: Pereira (5)
-8: Zalatoris (5)
-6: Young (5), Fitzpatrick (5)
-4: Ancer (6)
-3: McIlroy (13), Herbert (9)
-2: Simpson (8), Power (6)
-1: Homa (9), Thomas (7)
Zalatoris won’t have a share of the lead for long. Reason one: Pereira has just knocked his third on 5 to three feet. Reason two: Zalatoris has just flown a 5-iron over the green at the par-three 6th, over the gallery, over a cart path, and into a hedge! Not sure if he’s out of bounds, or if that’s lost, but either way, it’s a world of pain and trouble.
Will Zalatoris spilts the 5th fairway, then crashes his second into the heart of the green. He doesn’t quite hit his 35-foot eagle attempt, but taps in for birdie, and bounces off happily enough. “I can’t believe how slow that first putt was!” he quips to his caddy, full of cheer as usual. No wonder: he’s got a share of the lead! Birdie for his playing partner Cameron Young too.
-8: Zalatoris (5), Pereira (4)
-6: Young (6), Fitzpatrick (4)
Tyrrell Hatton nearly ends his week by holing out from a bunker. Not quite, and he bounces up and down in pantomime annoyance before a wide grin spreads across his face. He’s always great to watch, and it’s another good showing in a major for the 30-year-old Liverpool fan. He’ll sign for a 68, and ends the week at level par, wandering off in a good mood. Let’s hope he’s not bothered to tape the Manchester City game.
Pereira can’t make his birdie putt, the ball sliding by to the right. But Fitzpatrick wastes no time in quickly tidying up. A birdie that brings him back to where he started the day, and he’s a little closer to the leader. Meanwhile birdie for Ancer at 5.
-8: Pereira (4)
-7: Zalatoris (4)
-6: Fitzpatrick (4)
-5: Young (4)
-4: Ancer (5)
Pereira looks to bounce back by sending a wedge over the flag at 4 to eight feet. Fitzpatrick responds by knocking his half the distance inside. Up on 12, McIlroy hits his approach pin high, but the 15-footer he leaves himself is always missing on the left, and yet another birdie chance passes him by. His dream hasn’t quite reached the status of “pipe”, but it’s not far off, because he’s just flayed his drive at 13 into the thick stuff, so he’ll almost certainly have to lay up, eagle out of the question.
Cameron Young should match Will Zalatoris’s birdie, having landed his approach four feet from the flag. But he pulls his birdie attempt, then batters the green with his putter in great frustration. The sort of chance you can’t be giving up when in contention on the final day of a major. He remains at -5.
Séamus Power gets one of those shots dropped on 2 back at 4. He wedges to 15 feet and calmly rolls in the putt. He’s -2. Meanwhile back on 3, Mito Pereira bumps a good-looking chip up onto the green to five feet, but his putt lips out on the right. Matt Fitzpatrick makes his par easily enough, and the gap between the two players is reduced to three ... and Pereira’s lead is suddenly just one, because up on 4, Will Zalatoris knocks his approach to four feet and tickles in the birdie putt!
-8: Pereira (3)
-7: Zalatoris (4)
-5: Young (3), Fitzpatrick (3)
-3: McIlroy (11), Herbert (7), Simpson (6), Ancer (4)
Will Zalatoris is this close to draining a 45-footer across 3. One dimple away from dropping. He remains at -6. Par too for his partner Cameron Young, who stays at -5. Meanwhile back on 3, Mito Pereira sends his drive into thick rough down the right. He’s fairly fortunate not to be blocked out by trees. He had a couple of lucky bounces yesterday, the sort that even the best of them need to win major championships. This is another ... though he’s only able to advance his ball 140 yards up the fairway, a little short of the green. A big up and down coming up for the leader. Fitzpatrick meanwhile finds the green in regulation, but he’s not within realistic birdie range.
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Webb Simpson only just made the cut, but he’s enjoying his weekend. He shot a superb 65 yesterday, and he’s building on that good work today with birdies at 4 and 5. He joins the group in a tie for fifth at -3.
McIlroy is fast running out of holes. Another long birdie putt stops a little short, this time on 10, and he remains at -3. Meanwhile back on 2, Pereira leaves himself just short of the green in two, but takes a putter from the fringe and lags up to kick-in distance. He remains at -9. A fuss-free par-par start for the leader, who looks extremely calm. He’s surely churning inside as he negotiates uncharted waters. Par for Fitzpatrick as well; he remains four off at -5.
Disaster for Séamus Power on 2. He sends his tee shot into the drink down the left of the fairway, and he ends up with a double bogey six. He drops to -1. Better news for Cameron Young in the match behind. He booms a big drive down the fairway, knocks his second to ten feet, and makes the putt for a bounceback birdie. He’s -5 again. And back-to-back bogeys for Tommy Fleetwood, at 7 and 8, and all of his early good work is undone. He’s back to level par.
McIlroy clips his wedge on 9 pin high, but pulls the ten-foot birdie putt he leaves himself. He’s still turning in 32, but hopes of the title are getting ever more faint. He can’t afford to pass up these chances. He remains at -3. Meanwhile back on 1, Fitzpatrick gets relief from a nearby TV tower, and does well to chip up to 12 feet. He can’t make the par saver, and he opens with bogey. A solid, nerve-settling, two-putt par for Pereira.
-9: Pereira (1)
-6: Zalatoris (1)
-5: Fitzpatrick (1)
-4: Young (1)
-3: McIlroy (9), Herbert (5), Ancer (2)
Fitzpatrick has a route to the green, but he’s in deep rough, from which he gets a flyer. His ball disappears over the back of the green. A testing up and down coming up. Pereira by contrast finds the heart of the green in the fuss-free fashion. Meanwhile Davis Riley holes out from a bunker on 6 to move to -1.
Turns out that Cameron Young didn’t get over the fairway bunker with his opening tee shot, and he’s forced to take his medicine by laying up. This results in an opening bogey. Par meanwhile for Will Zalatoris. There’s also another near miss for birdie for Rory McIlroy, this time on the par-three 8th, his 45-footer just wide left.
-9: Pereira
-6: Fitzpatrick, Zalatoris (1)
-4: Young (1)
-3: McIlroy (8), Herbert (4), Ancer (1), Power (1)
The leader Mito Pereira tees off. Any sign of nerves? Nope! He splits the fairway. He’s going round in the final pairing with Matt Fitzpatrick. Can he become only the second Englishman to win the PGA, after Jim Barnes in 1916 and 1919? Well, it’s not an ideal start, because he pulls his drive into the gallery down the left, and might not have a route to the green, a couple of big trees possibly in his way. Let’s see.
Another birdie for Lucas Herbert, this time at 4. He rises to -3. An opening bogey for Abraham Ancer, the result of sending his approach wide left of the green. He slips to -3.
It wasn’t Will Zalatoris’s day yesterday. Certainly not on the front nine, when his driving went askew and his putting all but disintegrated. Perhaps it’s his day today, though? A big stroke of luck with his opening drive, which looks like heading for one of the bunkers down the left, but bounces in between them before kicking back towards the fairway. He’s out today with the big-hitting Cameron Young, who already has three second-place finishes on Tour this year, the latest at the Wells Fargo a couple of weeks ago. He sends his drive in a similar direction, but looks to have got over both bunkers. Just one pairing to go!
McIlroy nearly makes bounceback birdie from 40 feet on 7. His putt horseshoes out. So close. He’s throwing everything at this. He squats on his haunches in despair. He’s -3. Meanwhile, behind him, Tommy Fleetwood has started briskly. Birdies at 4 and 5 have whisked Southport’s finest to -2.
Another player comes this close to an ace. We’ve already seen Jordan Spieth nearly make albatross on 17. Now Cam Smith creams a fashionable 7-wood into the par-three 8th, his ball hitting the flagstick and stubbornly refusing to drop. The ball lips out to four feet, and lips out again on his birdie putt. “That’s not fair!” cries someone in the gallery. He’s got that damn straight. Poor Cam, who remains at level par. Spieth incidentally had no more luck on 17. His tee shot, an inch wide of dropping, then rolled off the back, and he couldn’t get up and down for his birdie. Par, and the career-slam-chasing Texan ends with a 69, at +4. Maybe he’ll complete the set next year at Oak Hill.
Yep, it was too good to last. McIlroy chunks his chip up from the side of 6, and he can’t make the lengthy par putt he leaves himself. He’s four over for this hole this week. The par-threes really have done a number on him. A large one. He slips back to -3.
More McIlroy magic! He crashes a 357-yard drive down the par-five 5th, then from the centre of the fairway finds a greenside bunker with his second. The mistake doesn’t cost him anything, though. He splashes out from 30 yards to four feet, and tidies up for his fourth birdie in a row. He’s doing it again, isn’t he? Chances of making it five on the spin look remote, though. He found water to the left of the par-three 6th yesterday, and, clearly not of a mind to do it again, sends his tee shot down the swale to the right of the green.
-9: Pereira
-6: Fitzpatrick, Zalatoris
-5: Young
-4: McIlroy (5), Ancer
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Lucas Herbert opens with birdie. The 26-year-old Aussie has had a good week, and this promises to be his best finish in a major by some distance. A couple of 68s on Thursday and Saturday bookend a disappointing 73 on Friday, when, having briefly challenged the leaders, he carded four bogeys on the front nine. Other than that, he’s been consistently impressive and has announced himself this week as one to keep an eye on. He’s -2.
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This is getting daft now. McIlroy rolls a 25-foot downhill left-to-right curler into the cup at 4, and that’s three birdies on the bounce. He’s -3. Speaking of good, wholesome, rollocking entertainment, up on the reachable par-four 17th, Jordan Spieth is this close to a hole-in-one albatross! His 3-wood lands on the front of the green, takes a couple of skips, then rolls about one inch wide right of the cup. His ball then topples off the back, which is simply not fair. That would have been the first albatross at the PGA since Joey Sindelar on the 5th at Medinah in 2006.
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Back-to-back birdies for Rory McIlroy! This one comes at 3, and all of a sudden he’s -2. Those par-three meltdowns yesterday - double bogey at 6, triple at 11 - have really cost him. A couple of pars there and he’d be two off the lead. But here we are.
There have been seven previous majors at Southern Hills. The 1958, 1977 and 2001 US Opens, won by Tommy Bolt, Hubert Green and Retief Goosen; and the 1970, 1982, 1994 and 2007 PGA Championships, won by Dave Stockton, Ray Floyd, Nick Price and Tiger Woods. That’s a pretty high-calibre roll of honour, which may explain why all seven winners held or jointly held the 54-hole lead. Mito Pereira has a lot to live up to.
It’s been a disappointing week for Jon Rahm. One of the pre-tournament favourites, he never really got going, yesterday’s 76 the nadir of an uneven week. He’s finished with a 68, though, a little boost for the confidence as he starts thinking about his defence of the US Open next month at Brookline. He ends up at +6.
Is Rory McIlroy going to do his usual thing of charging up the leaderboard on Sunday having all but played himself out of contention? Perhaps! He rolls in a birdie putt on 2 to move into red figures at -1. He’ll need a stellar round today if he’s to slake that eight-year major thirst, and to be fair the conditions are conducive for low scoring. It’s warmer than yesterday, the wind is much less troublesome, and they’ve moved up a few tee boxes in the hope of fireworks. It shouldn’t be beyond someone in the chasing pack to post a score that will trouble the surprise leader Mito Pereira if he stumbles.
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In case you missed the news last night, Tiger withdrew after that painful (in more than one sense of the word) 79. It was his third-worst round at a major championship - he shot 81 at Muirfield in the 2002 Open, and 80 when the US Open was staged on the whirling waltzer that is Chambers Bay - but that leg was really playing up, so it was no great surprise to see him limp off the stage. Hopefully he’ll be back in time for the Open at St Andrews in July; an appearance at Brookline next month for the US Open might be pushing it.
Preamble
… and there was us thinking the story that unfolded last year at Kiawah Island, when Phil Mickelson became the oldest player to win a major, couldn’t be matched this year. But look: Mito Pereira, making his PGA Championship debut, takes a three-shot lead into the final round at Southern Hills. Should the 27-year-old Chilean, the world number 100 making only his 28th start on the PGA Tour, lift the Wanamaker Trophy in a few hours, it’ll be a shock right up there with the leftfield victories of John Daly (1991), Rich Beem (2002) and Shaun Micheel (2003).
Should it be such a big surprise, though? Pereira fell one place short of medalling at the Olympics last year. On Tour, he finished third at the Fortinet Championship last September, tied 13th at the Texas Open in April, and tied for 17th at the Byron Nelson last week. He’s also fourth this season in hitting the greens in regulation. I mean, the answer to the question is obviously YES – please identify the legions tipping Pereira for glory three days ago – but it’s not as though the guy doesn’t have the chops to become a major champion. Yesterday’s staunch regrouping after his mini-collapse around the turn proves that.
However other shocks are available! Pereira hasn’t won on Tour yet, but then neither have Matt Fitzpatrick, Will Zalatoris or Cameron Young. Abraham Ancer and Séamus Power each have one victory to their name, but nobody was bigging them up before the week began. Few were talking about veterans Stewart Cink or Bubba Watson, either, and while Justin Thomas was one of the pre-tournament favourites, if he wins from here, he’d equal John Mahaffey’s all-time record of winning from seven shots back after 54 holes (1978), and that would be seismic in itself.
This is all a very long-winded way of saying that whatever happens at Southern Hills today is guaranteed to be memorable. And hey, it’ll be even more special if we all go on the journey together. So buckle up, friends and honorary Okies, as we set off on another wild ride into the major-championship unknown. Good luck to all involved, and may the best/most-blessed man win.
Here’s how the top of the leaderboard looked after 54 holes …
-9: Pereira
-6: Fitzpatrick, Zalatoris
-5: Young
-4: Ancer
-3: Power
-2: Cink, Thomas, Watson
-1: Simpson, Herbert, Homa, Burns, Woodland, Kirk, Riley
E: Schauffele, Fleetwood, Fox, Hoge, Arnaus, McIlroy
… and here’s when they all troop out to meet their fate (all times BST). This is on. It’s on!
1.00 pm: Maverick McNealy, Sepp Straka
1.09 pm: Robert MacIntyre, Patton Kizzire
1.18 pm: Jason Kokrak, Billy Horschel
1.27 pm: Adam Hadwin, Thomas Pieters
1.36 pm: Beau Hossler, Si Woo Kim
1.45 pm: Justin Harding, Jon Rahm
1.55 pm: Collin Morikawa, Kevin Streelman
2.05 pm: Francesco Molinari, Kramer Hickok
2.15 pm: Louis Oosthuizen, Shaun Norris
2.25 pm: Lanto Griffin, Charl Schwartzel
2.35 pm: Keith Mitchell, Marc Leishman
2.45 pm: Cam Davis, Hideki Matsuyama
2.55 pm: Tony Finau, Viktor Hovland
3.05 pm: Denny McCarthy, Jordan Spieth
3.15 pm: Jason Day, Keegan Bradley
3.25 pm: Troy Merritt, Adam Schenk
3.45 pm: Brian Harman, Luke List
3.55 pm: Harold Varner III, Brooks Koepka
4.05 pm: Bernd Weisberger, Talor Gooch
4.15 pm: K.H. Lee, Shane Lowry
4.25 pm: Rikuya Hoshino, Russell Henley
4.35 pm: Tyrrell Hatton, Sebastian Muñoz
4.45 pm: Cameron Tringale, Patrick Reed
4.55 pm: Aaron Wise, Rickie Fowler
5.05 pm: Laurie Canter, Justin Rose
5.15 pm: Matt Kuchar, Lucas Glover
5.25 pm: Joaquin Niemann, Cameron Smith
5.35 pm: Brendan Steele, Kevin Na
5.45 pm: Adri Arnaus, Rory McIlroy
5.55 pm: Ryan Fox, Tom Hoge
6.05 pm: Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood
6.15 pm: Chris Kirk, Davis Riley
6.25 pm: Sam Burns, Gary Woodland
6.35 pm: Lucas Herbert, Max Homa
6.55 pm: Bubba Watson, Webb Simpson
7.05 pm: Stewart Cink, Justin Thomas
7.15 pm: Abraham Ancer, Seamus Power
7.25 pm: Will Zalatoris, Cameron Young
7.35 pm: Mito Pereira, Matt Fitzpatrick
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