Sometimes the loser is remembered more than the winner. Stewart Cink won the British Open at Turnberry in 2009, but the tournament went down in history because Tom Watson lost it in a bid to break every longevity record at age 59. Something similar will happen at this PGA Championship, the second major of the season. The encyclopedia will say that Justin Thomas, aged 29, won his second Grand Slam title after another PGA in 2017, adding that he defeated Will Zlatoris, 27, who was not just looking for his first major , but also his first title on the American tour. And the stats will do the talking (seven shots recovered by Thomas, never seen in a PGA), and there are those to point out that it was also the first major where Tiger Woods retired… And all that it’s true yes, but memory He will always remember that Mito Pereira lost him before Thomas won him or Zulatoris fought against it.
Guillermo Pereira is called Mito because of the last syllables of his diminutive Guillermito. He is 27 years old and this course is a first on the American circuit. Arriving at the Southern Hills Course in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Monday, he dreamed of making the cut. But suddenly he found himself at the gates of glory. After three majestic rounds of 68, 64 and 69, he awoke on Sunday as the supreme leader with a three-stroke cushion. Personal fame was at stake as his track record in the world elite was nil. And the glory of his country, Chile, was at stake as no golfer from that nation has ever won a major game. And so he sweated and suffered as he watched his income dwindle, but still it was enough, one shot entering the 18th hole, a par earned him the title, the great, the eternity. He wanted to buckle it to 17, but his putt was just a batting away from going in the hole. Horrible. Still, he couldn’t wait for what happened on the 18th: seized by the pressure, as he later admitted, he pulled a strange and orthopedic swing, unnatural, and his ball rolled into the water. The dip eventually resulted in a double bogey that even left him out of the tiebreak. a drama. Next to the green, his compatriot and friend Joaquín Niemann could hardly avoid tears. Niemann cried and all of Chile cried.
Mito Pereira, on the 18th hole.ROSS KINNAIRD (AFP)
The tale of a golfer who reached the PGA as world No. 100 died with just a year of training at Texas Tech University, two wins last year on the Korn Ferry Tour, America’s second step, a 13th place finish this season the best result (Valero Texas Open) and a fourth place at the last Tokyo Games. Guillermito hasn’t even reached thirty tournaments on the American circuit, and the peak of his career and only top ten was a third place finish at the Fortinet Championship a year ago. No one expected him to make history at the PGA Championship (the second major of his career after the 2019 US Open), and no one was closer to him.
Pereira ordered the rookie rebellion. At the top of the table on Sunday, the Chilean joined Matt Fitzpatrick, 27, as well as Zalatoris and Cameron Young, both 25, all looking for their first big, which would also be their first crown at the American Circuit. That inexperience weighed tons. No one took the reins of the return. All were evenly matched that day, with Mito Pereira (+5 that day) leading the field. A striped player, Justin Thomas, one of the heavyweights of world golf, sneaked up from behind. His -3 round earned him the tiebreak with Zatoris, both at -5, when Mito Pereira spun (-4 overall). The Chilean lived a day in the electric chair in which it seemed as if he would sink (bogeys in 7 and 8) as soon as he snorted: great putt saved in 9, also solved complicated situations in 10 and 11. Of course that when bordering on the abyss, there is a risk of falling. It goes up and down, bogey at 12, birdie at 13, bogey at 14… Impossible for a second’s rest. Everything was settled with that putt on the 17th, not taking a breath, and on the 18th came the sinking and drama. Still, he had the courage to go out and face the cameras: “The tension caused me to make a bad move. There is nothing else to learn. You have to go out there with your head held high and keep fighting. We Latinos are not many and we have to be proud of that.”
Around him, Zulatoris, Young, and Fitzpatrick moved so far apart as they got closer. Thomas, even more scarred, smelled the blood and blasted through excellent back nine holes where he swelled to birdie opportunities. He was where he needed to be when Mito Pereira’s arm shrank and Chile’s soul shrank. In the three playoff holes (13, 17 and 18), Thomas signed birdie, birdie and par to settle a big that he was crowned the winner, but that will be remembered by the loser.
Adri Arnaus finished the tournament as the best Spaniard (+3 on the day and overall) in 30th ahead of Jon Rahm, 48th, who saved two shots on the day and finished with +6. Tiger Woods retired at the end of the third round (+12) due to his physical problems. It’s the first time in his entire Imperial career that the Tiger has failed a great one.
PGA Final Score.
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