Pereira leads PGA Championship entering final round; Woods withdraws after 79
Mito Pereira skidded out of control just like so many other contenders in the wind and cold of Southern Hills. He got back on course at just the right time Saturday in the PGA Championship in Tulsa, Okla.
Pereira steadied himself with three birdies over the last six holes, the final one from just outside 25 feet for a 1-under 69. That gave the 27-year-old from Chile a three-shot lead over Matt Fitzpatrick and Will Zalatoris.
At stake for the 27-year-old Pereira is a chance to become the first PGA Tour rookie to win a major since Keegan Bradley in the 2011 PGA Championship.
"I was playing really good and suddenly I made four bogeys in five holes. It was a tough place to be at that moment," he said. "But just found myself from 13 on. Those holes are pretty tough. So really happy how I ended up playing. The birdie on 18 was a bonus.
"Just happy to be in this position."
Strong finish for Mito Pereira, the solo leader at (-9).<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PGAChamp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PGAChamp</a> <a href="https://t.co/sEguWZ8bq8">pic.twitter.com/sEguWZ8bq8</a>
There were missed opportunities for so many others on a rough day featuring a wind out of the north that made Southern Hills play entirely different.
Former PGA champion Justin Thomas went 12 holes without a birdie, and then he gave it back with a bogey on the closing hole for a 74. Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson looked shaky as ever on the greens, making three bogeys over his last four holes for a 73. They went from the cusp of contention to seven shots behind.
Rory McIlroy had a six-hole stretch around the turn that he played in 6 over — and that even included a birdie — for a 74 to fall nine shots back.
Zalatoris had his problems, too.
