Comeback kid Justin Thomas credits experience for US PGA triumph, Mito Pereira wishes he could 'do it again'

Justin Thomas believes his experience was a crucial factor after beating Will Zalatoris in a play-off to win his second US PGA Championship at Southern Hills.

Chile's Mito Pereira held a one-shot lead on the 72nd hole after seeing his birdie putt on the 17th stop agonisingly short of the hole, but pushed his drive into the creek and ran up a devastating double bogey.

That left 29-year-old Thomas and Zalatoris to contest a three-hole aggregate play-off and Thomas birdied the 13th and 17th and parred the 18th to win by a shot and lift the Wanamaker Trophy for the second time, having started the day seven shots off the lead.

That meant the former world number one equalled the biggest comeback in US PGA history, John Mahaffey coming from seven behind Tom Watson after 54 holes to defeat Watson and Jerry Pate in a play-off at Oakmont in 1978.

"It hasn’t sunk in just yet," said Thomas, who also won the 2017 US PGA at Quail Hollow. "I think it did more in the moment. I was jittery and I almost kind of couldn’t feel my limbs walking up to that tap-in.

"Trying to two-putt from 25 feet is usually pretty doable, but downhill when you know you’ve got a two-putter to win, I was very pleased to see it end up that close to the hole.

"I felt like I probably needed to get it to six or seven (under) at the start of the day, but I also knew there was a chance that I could shoot two, three, four under and it could be good enough.

"Although I was so far back there wasn’t that many guys ahead of me, and it’s a very tough golf course and anything could happen."

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While Pereira, Zalatoris, Cameron Young and England’s Matt Fitzpatrick were all trying to win their first PGA Tour title, never mind a maiden major, Thomas had 16 wins under his