There is a lot of inexperience at the top of the leaderboard at the PGA Championship and Mito Pereira is looking to make this major championship his first win.
With all the big names going in reverse on a chilly, windy Saturday at Southern Hills, Pereira kept his wits about him and by day’s end shot a one-under par 69 and will take a three-shot lead into the final 18.
He started the day a shot behind 36-hole leader Will Zalatoris but after two days of good putting, Zalatoris’ Achilles Heel showed up on day three and his putter cost him. Four bogeys over his first nine holes dropped Zalatoris from nine-under back to five-under at the turn. Two early birdies gave Pereira a five-shot lead but back-to-back bogeys at eight and nine took him back to even par and nine-under, where he started.
Pereira suffered a third straight bogey to start the back nine then made another at the 12th hole, dropping him back to seven-under and his lead was just a shot.
But everyone else was going the wrong way — Bubba Watson, Zalatoris, Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy.
By day’s end it was England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick making birdie at the difficult 18th for a three-under par 67 that got him to six-under. Later, Pereira did the same — he birdied 18 for a one-under par 69 and he sits at nine-under by himself.
Zalatoris finished with 73 and is at six-under but Fitzpatrick posted first and will join Pereira in the final twosome on Sunday. Zalatoris will play with rookie Cameron Young, who shot his own 67 and was alone at five-under par.
Abraham Ancer’s 70 took him to four-under while Seamus Power’s 67 put him at three-under.
A 74 from Thomas dropped him all the way back to two-under along with Stewart Cink and Bubba Watson. Watson’s third-round 73 was 10 shots higher than his Friday round.
Pereira, ranked 100th in the world, has yet to win on the PGA Tour.
