US PGA Championship: Justin Thomas beats Will Zalatoris in a play-off

American Justin Thomas staged a record-equalling fightback earlier than beating Will Zalatoris in a play-off to win the US PGA Championship at Southern Hills.

Chile’s Mito Pereira seemed set to win a primary main title however double-bogeyed the 18th after hitting his tee shot right into a creek to complete at 4 below.

England’s Matt Fitzpatrick (73) and Tommy Fleetwood (67) ended three below.

Northern Eire’s Rory McIlroy, who led the event after a five-under-par 65 on the opening day, closed with a 68 to complete eighth at two below in Oklahoma.

Thomas was one over after six holes on Sunday however had 4 birdies in his closing 10 holes to fireside his method to the highest of the leaderboard, with Zalatoris hanging on to additionally end on 5 below and capitalise on Pereira’s capitulation.

But it surely was the world quantity 9 who prevailed within the three-hole shootout, making a decisive birdie on the seventeenth to say his second main after additionally successful this occasion in 2017.

“It was a weird day,” mentioned Thomas, who equalled John Mahaffey’s file of coming from seven behind to win the 1978 US PGA title, additionally in a play-off, at Oakmont.

“Bones [Thomas’ caddie] did an unbelievable job of simply preserving me within the second. We simply tried to play the golf course for what it’s..

“It is humorous, I used to be requested earlier within the week about what lead is protected, and I mentioned, ‘no lead’. This place is so robust. However in case you hit the fairways you can also make birdies and I stayed so affected person, I simply could not imagine I discovered myself in a play-off.”

Pereira’s desires crumble

The nerve-shredding moments that may outline this main for Pereira got here on the seventeenth inexperienced and 18th tee.

A birdie putt that might have handed him a two-shot lead happening the final pulled up a few centimetres quick earlier than his drive just a few moments later discovered water, finally sinking the world primary hundred’s hopes of changing into the primary Chilean to win a significant title.

As his ball was settling within the creek, Zalatoris was on the 18th inexperienced rolling in a gutsy par putt to match Thomas on 5 below, whereas the previous champion instantly headed to the driving vary in preparation for a play-off.

Pereira solely made the change from the PGA Tour’s feeder Korn Ferry Tour final summer time and his finest end of 2022 earlier than this occasion was a share of thirteenth finally month’s Texas Open, however he began the day with a three-stroke lead over Fitzpatrick on simply his second main begin.

Zalatoris, additionally a relative newcomer however now with 5 top-10s in eight main begins, had wiped that out by the point he reached the sixth tee, solely to bogey the tough par-three gap in weird circumstances.

An errant tee shot led to a 15-minute dialogue with a guidelines official over the place to drop his ball and he ultimately made an excellent up-and-down from a cart path.

From there it grew to become a grind for the leaders, with Pereira nearly preserving his nostril in entrance regardless of Cameron Younger briefly becoming a member of the lead and Thomas showing on the horizon due to his bogey-free again 9.

That was till the par-four 18th, the place Pereira’s unravelling led to a six that noticed him miss out on the play-off, leaving Zalatoris and Thomas to scrap it out over three holes.

Each birdied the par-five thirteenth earlier than Thomas drove the inexperienced on the 302-yard seventeenth and two-putted for a birdie that Zalatoris couldn’t match, earlier than holding his nerve with a par on the 18th to clinch his second Wanamaker Trophy.

“I have been knocking on the door in these majors for a short time and one’s going to come back quickly,” mentioned Zalatoris. “To return up one quick, it stings, however I do know we will get one quickly.”

Fitzpatrick has an off day

Fitzpatrick, taking part in within the closing pairing, started the day with real hope he may change into the primary Englishman to win this championship since Jim Barnes in 1919.

That was dampened when the 27-year-old bogeyed his opening gap and regardless of cancelling that out with a birdie on the fourth, he performed himself out of the combination with additional dropped pictures at six, 10 and 11.

With these forward of him toiling, Fitzpatrick greeted a birdie on the fifteenth with an enormous fist pump within the information he was as soon as once more two strokes off the lead, just for a bogey at 17 to kill off his probabilities because the Yorkshireman signed for a three-over 73 that took him to 3 below for the event.

“It is robust to take,” mentioned Fitzpatrick. “I simply did not hit very effectively, wasn’t a great day. It is disappointing figuring out that you just’re two pictures outdoors of a play-off and you’re feeling such as you’ve acquired the sport to make the play-off and go on to win.

“I shoot degree par and I win it outright. If somebody had mentioned that earlier than the spherical, I might have absolutely ready myself to try this. You recognize your goal and get it round. It wasn’t the day that I wished and it’s what it’s sadly.”

Compatriot Fleetwood additionally completed at three below and McIlroy was one additional again however they left Southern Hills in very totally different moods – Fleetwood buoyant after 5 birdies in his closing seven holes and saying he was “blissful wherever I end”, McIlroy rueing one other missed alternative.

McIlroy had ended spherical one with a one-stroke lead, bucking his latest development in majors of beginning gradual, however the injury for the four-time main champion was carried out with a one-over 71 on Friday, adopted by a 74 on Saturday.

When the world quantity seven holed 4 successive birdies from the second, it seemed like he is likely to be placing collectively the same closing spherical to the one he compiled on the Masters in April, however that run ended with a bogey on the par-three sixth – which he had double-bogeyed 24 hours earlier.

The 33-year-old did not card one other birdie in a two-under 68 and left the course with out chatting with the media.

Fleetwood, in the meantime, made seven birdies in a final-day 67 that additionally included 4 straight bogeys via the flip to climb right into a shock share of fifth.