(AFP)
Mito Pereira will take a three-shot lead on the final day of the PGA Championship at Southern Hills after overcoming a shaky corner to take the lead on Saturday. Pereira beat the last 69 card and stayed ahead of the overnight leader Will Zalatores and Matthew Fitzpatrick, who put himself in contention with his excellent 67th shot.
Rory McIlroy’s attempt to end his major drought suffered a major early blow. After a streak of five straight pars, McIlroy pulled his tee shot to third in the water and ran a five-double bogey to drop again to two sub-par. A triple bogey would follow and although a group of birds helped, McIlroy then dropped another shot on the 18th to finish the day overall.
Earlier in the day, Tiger Woods recorded his worst result ever in the PGA Championship as a successful fight to make the cut took heavy losses at Southern Hills. Woods hit 79, his previous worst result in the US PGA being 77 in the first round in 2011. “I didn’t play well,” Woods said. “I didn’t hit the ball very well and came down so I didn’t need to start. I thought I hit a good starting point I dropped two and ended up in the water, not getting any kind of momentum on my part.”
After the end of the third day, he confirmed that Woods had withdrawn from the tournament and that the 46-year-old would not participate in the fourth round.
Follow all the action on what promises to be one last, intriguing day, below:
Rory McIlroy makes the charge again on Sunday but Mito Pereira retains the lead in the NBA
McIlroy, who finished runner-up in the Masters thanks to closing 64 in Augusta Nationalhe started the last round with nine shots off the lead after opening the 65th with two disappointing rounds of 71 and 74.
That seemed to end his chances of a fifth major title and first since winning the 2014 US PGA title, but McIlroy may have had other ideas and made a great start with four birds in a row from second.
Michael JonesMay 22 2022 21:26
Pereira is back at eight
Fitzpatrick’s foot may have added a touch of pressure to Mito Pereira’s long throw and hits him around the back of the hole, making him a bogeyman.
In front of him does Zalatores save the ball in eighth place, after moving away from the back net. The bat saves him again.
Michael JonesMay 22 2022 21:24
Strikes do not fall
Matt Fitzpatrick passes a flying ball past the right edge of the hole on the seventh and Cameron Young drops a shot on the eighth.
Away from the green, McIlroy has a long, left-to-right swing effort for a birdie at 16. He hits him brilliantly but the ball sways in the hole and bounces out!
Michael JonesMay 22 2022 21:22
Three to go see Rory
Nine pars in a row for Rory McIlroy. He wasn’t able to convert the most difficult chances on his back nine to take shots and with three holes likely, he probably views -5 as the best case scenario.
The 17th can be reached in two stages, and a good shot at 18 would leave him with a chance.
Michael JonesMay 22 2022 21:19
The wheels go off
Do xalatores explode from the inside? He takes an iron on the par-3 eighth and hangs it well above the green. He’s a little lucky that the ball settled into the rough, leaving a good streak towards the flag and the possibility of a tie up and down.
(Getty Images)
Michael JonesMay 22 2022 21:16
problem at seven
The ecstasy of making a ghost is unleashed on only six people by Will Xalatores who catches a ghost on the seventh day.
Cameron Young struggled to get close as well with his three shots, but saves himself with the racket and goes out just as well.
Michael JonesMay 22 2022 21:12
Fitzpatrick damage limit
After finding water on Day Six, Matt Fitzpatrick makes a tough shot for a bogey four-on-three. Like Will Zalatoris before, this will feel like a salvaged shot.
He leads by four goals, although Mito Pereira (-9) shoots twice from the middle of the green in order to equalize.
Michael JonesMay 22 2022, 21:08
Pereira finds the color green
The latter pair had to wait a long time while officials dealt with Will Zalatores’ misguided blow. Waiting doesn’t seem to bother Mito Pereira, who sends an iron safely into the middle of the green.
Fitzpatrick decided to buy a five iron and would need to smoke this iron properly. He is also trying to go science rather than rescue to the right and gets everything wrong.
splash! In the water, the English are in trouble.
Michael JonesMay 22 2022 21:02
Zalatoris retreats
Will Zalatores (-7) drops a bullet on a six bar 3 but it will feel like a bird. He was in real trouble about the tee and had to take a penalty before he fell off the track.
He still had work to do with a six-foot ghost and what seemed certain to be a double ghost at best sees Zalatoris drop only one. Great recovery play.
Michael JonesMay 22 2022 20:58
ghost lancer
Abraham Anser collects another bogey on his run and drops back to (-3) along with Rory McIlroy who misses another Flying chance for 14th.
Michael JonesMay 22 2022 20:54
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