There were missed opportunities for so many others on a rough day featuring a wind out of the north that made Southern Hills play entirely different.įormer PGA champion Justin Thomas went 12 holes without a birdie and then had a bogey on the closing hole for a 74. “It was a tough place to be at that moment. “I was playing really good, and suddenly I made four bogeys in five holes,” he said. He limped around Southern Hills for a 79, his worst score ever in the PGA Championship.Īt stake for the 27-year-old Pereira is a chance to become the first PGA Tour rookie to win a major since Keegan Bradley in the 2011 PGA Championship. Woods withdrew for the first time in a major as a pro.
That gave the 27-year-old from Chile a three-shot lead over Matt Fitzpatrick and Will Zalatoris.įor Tiger Woods, his slide on a battered right leg seemed to last all day in what turned out to be his last round.
Pereira steadied himself with three birdies over the last six holes, the final one from just outside 25 feet for a 1-under 69. He got back on course at just the right time Saturday in the PGA Championship. Mito Pereira skidded out of control just like so many other contenders in the wind and cold of Southern Hills.
