Justin Thomas' Sensational Comeback Seals PGA Victory After Mito Pereira Collapse

Justin Thomas matched the greatest last-day comeback in PGA Championship history on Sunday, roaring back from seven strokes down at Southern Hills to capture his second major title. The 29-year-old American defeated compatriot Will Zalatoris by one stroke in a tension-packed three-hole aggregate playoff after a heartbreaking 72nd-hole collapse by Chile's Mito Pereira. Pereira led all day only to hit his final tee shot into water and launch a double-bogey disaster at the 18th hole and hand Thomas the trophy. "It was a bizarre day," Thomas said. "I was asked earlier in the week about what lead is safe, and I said, no lead. This place is so tough.

"But if you hit the fairways you can make birdies and I stayed so patient. I just couldn't believe I found myself in a playoff."

Not since John Mahaffey's seven-shot rally at Oakmont in 1978 had anyone made such a fightback to win the PGA Championship.

Thomas, who also won the 2017 PGA title, fired a three-under-par 67 in Sunday's final round and Zalatoris, last year's Masters runner-up, shot 71 to finish 72 holes deadlocked on five-under 275.

Zalatoris and Thomas each birdied the par-5 13th to open the playoff. At the par-4 17th, Thomas drove the green and two-putted for birdie from 36 feet while Zalatoris chipped to seven feet but missed his birdie bid.

At the 18th hole, Zalatoris missed a 40-foot birdie try and finished on one-under while Thomas two-putted from 26 feet, tapping in for par and the victory on two-under.

"We just tried to play the golf course for what it is, and this place is so tough," Thomas said.

Zalatoris settled for his fifth top-10 finish in eight major starts and a sense he's near a breakthrough.

"I can do it. I'm pretty close," said Zalatoris. "I battled