In the final round of the 2022 PGA Championship, Justin Thomas makes par at the par-4 18th hole, his third playoff hole, to defeat Will Zalatoris and win his second major championship title.
Justin Thomas beats Will Zalatoris in a nail-biting play-off after overturning a seven-shot deficit to win the PGA Championship for the second time in his career.
Add the name of poor Mito Pereira to the majors Hall of Infamy and a place alongside Jean van de Velde. In the end it was Justin Thomas who showed a winner’s instinct to claim the USPGA Championship for a second time.
Thomas, who began the final round seven strokes off the lead, did not figure to be celebrating a victory after his first eight holes Sunday when he was one over par. His final-round rally tied for the third-largest comeback in major championship history.
Pereira was on the cusp of becoming Chile’s first major champion, and giving South America the career Grand Slam.
Even after five bogeys, he never lost the lead and delivered clutch par saves from the bunker left of the ninth green and from well behind the 10th green. None was bigger than his 12-foot putt on the 16th to stay one shot ahead.
Rory McIlroy made a brief run with four straight birdies on the front nine, putting him at 4-under par for the tournament. He was 2 over the rest of the way and finished eighth.
In eight majors at Southern Hills, it was first time a player rallied from any margin to win, and it was only the second playoff. Retief Goosen won the other in the 2001 U.S. Open after he three-putted from 12 feet on the final hole. At least he got another chance, unlike Pereira.
Six of the seven previous major champions at Southern Hills are in the World Golf Hall of Fame. The 29-year-old Thomas, now with two majors among his 15 career PGA TOUR victories, is surely headed there one day.
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