PGA Tour rookie Mito Pereira blows shot at winning first major with double-bogey on 18

TULSA, Okla. — As Mito Pereira stood in the interview area in a tent at Southern Hills Country Club on Sunday, TVs to his left and right showed Justin Thomas and Will Zalatoris preparing for a playoff in the 104th PGA Championship.

After Pereira answered a couple of questions, someone had enough sense to turn the TVs off.

Less than half an hour earlier, Pereira stood on the tee box of the 18th hole holding a one-shot lead over Thomas and Zalatoris. Had Pereira carded a par on the final hole, he would have become the first man from Chile to win a major championship and the first PGA Tour rookie to win one in 11 years.

Instead, Pereira pushed his tee shot into a creek on the right side of the fairway. After taking a drop and one-shot penalty, he blasted his approach shot over the green. He still had a chance to make the playoff if he could get up and down. His chip shot rolled off the green. He needed two putts from there and made a double-bogey 6. He finished tied for third at 4 under.

Pereira, 27, entered the final round at 9 under and had a 3-shot lead. He shot 5-over 75 on Sunday.

«Obviously, sad to be here and not in the playoff, not make par, just straight win,» Pereira said. «On 18, I wasn't even thinking about the water. I just wanted to put it in play, and I guess I aimed too far right. I just hit in the water.… I mean, I wish I could do it again.»

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Pereira is the third player over the last 20 years to double-bogey the 72nd hole in a major and finish 1 shot out of a playoff. Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie both did it on the 72nd hole of the 2006 U.S. Open.

Pereira, who is 100th in the Official World Golf Ranking, said he made the same swing on No. 18 that he had