Justin Thomas has won the second major of his career after winning the Playoff PGA Championship with Will Galatoris.
A lot of help was needed to ensure Thomas’ victory, and Mito Pereira provided it in a tragic ending. Chile’s 18th hole lost a one-shot lead when he went from T to Creek and made a double bogey.
This opened the door for Thomas and Galatoris, who finished 5-under 275 before playing a rare three-hole aggregate for the Wanamekar Trophy.
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Thomas started the day with seven shots behind Pereira and 3-under 67 shots, tying for the best round of the day. He missed a put within 15 feet of his final hole that could have taken him 6-under, but Pereira’s melting at 18 gave him a chance.
After finding the water on the right, Chile took a penalty drop, then missed the green left. He then failed to scramble from rough to rough for a buggy, returning to the tie with Cameron Young to become the third in the all-time Meldown.
Gelatoris rode a rollercoaster round full of mis-hits that included a penalty drop for an unreadable lie. He birdied to reach 5-under at 17, then climbed to par at 18 to advance to the playoffs.
Pereira started the day with a three-shot lead in the Southern Hills. He played his last five holes in 3 overs.
Speaking shortly afterwards, Pereira addressed his disaster, speaking candidly about the pressure he felt in the final control hole.
“It’s hard to end up like a really good week,” he told CBS.
“On Monday I just wanted to cut. On Sunday I wanted to win. I hold on and take it to learn for the future.
“I wasn’t thinking about water at 18, I just wanted to play it.
“But I guess there’s so much pressure on your body that you probably don’t know what you’re doing.”
The total purse set for the tournament was set at $ 15 million – an increase of $ 3 million from last year – with Thomas taking 2. 2.7 million, or 18 percent of the total prize money.
With a two-way tie for third place, Pereira’s instability cost him dearly as he finished with $ 870,000 instead of the expected $ 1,020,000.
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