A “moving day” at the 2022 PGA Championship is the equivalent of changing lanes in traffic. There was a lot of action, a lot of risk taking, there was a car leaning on its shoulders, and it went around pretty much everyone. While 36-hole leader Mito Pereira held onto his edge in the final group and ended up at the top of the leaderboard at 1-under 69, Matt Fitzpatrick ( Matt Fitzpatrick) is the vehicle that jumps over the shoulder.
The Briton has had a great season this season and despite not having a career win in the US, the 27-year-old should love his chance to lift the Wanamaker trophy on Sunday.
Fitzpatrick isn’t the only one hoping for his first career victory on the PGA Tour, as Pereira, Will Zara Torres and Cameron Young — the top four — are all They will seek their first PGA Tour title in their second major on the PGA Tour. season.
With so many unknowns at the top of the leaderboard, it’s possible that someone could steal the Wanamaker directly below the group from behind. Abraham Ancer and Justin Thomas fit this model very well, as they are both proven winners, especially successful in this championship game.
While Pereira’s three-shot lead seemed insurmountable, things tended to move quickly in the final round of a major. In other words, anything is possible on Sunday.
Is one thing impossible? See Tiger Woods tee off for his fourth set of 18 holes. Woods decides to withdraw from PGA Championship After the third round, he shot a 9-over 79 to tie for last place. Tiger made the pain a concern after a round, and he eventually decided to withdraw from a major for the first time as a professional golfer.
There’s still a lot of action to touch, and that’s what we plan to do. Below is a summary of the leaderboard after round 3.
1. Mito Pereira (-9): Pereira’s third round had a lot of good and a lot of bad, but it ended up adding up to a 1-under 69, the first in a PGA Championship since John Daly in 1991 The player with a 54-hole lead in his debut. While Pereira has that notch in his belt, he hopes to add another on Sunday, as winning on his championship debut is a feat never seen before when Keegan Bradley was at Atlantic Sports Club. In doing so, he completed the job in 11 years.
T2. Matt Fitzpatrick, Will Zalatoris (-6): A slow start, Fitzpatrick dropped to 1 under after the opening two holes. He could have packed up like many of his peers on Saturday, but instead pushed himself into the final group. He was 5 under on the final 16 holes and finished with a slam for birdie on the tough par-4 18th. Fitzpatrick was the acknowledged winner, but was inexplicably shut out on American soil. That could all change on Sunday.
The putter gave up Zara Torres early on, but the determination he showed was admirable. His third round could have easily got rid of him after he was 4 over at 7 and as many as five behind Pereira. Instead, he kept a cool head and kept the lead in the process. He won’t find his name in Sunday’s final game, but that might be a good thing because he’ll see a familiar face on the first tee.
4. Cameron Young (-5): Young may no longer be known as “Wilzara Torres’ college roommate” after this week, as the PGA Tour rookie continues to compete on golf’s biggest stage. On the par-4 17th, an eagle put his name on the first page of the leaderboard in his PGA Championship debut. The 25-year-old has three runners-up finishes this season and is hoping not to finish fourth on Sunday. As mentioned, a grouping with Zara Torres will help ease any final-round jitters, but for some reason I doubt he’ll even have any jitters.
5. Abraham Anser (-4): Ancer didn’t finish in the top 30 in stroke play in the U.S. this year, so the performance was a bit of a shock indeed. He finished last season at Kiawah Island in a hurry and finished his PGA Championship at 7 under. It’s his only top 10 finish in his major career, and he should be able to add another point tomorrow.
6. Seamus Power (-3): Not Rory McIlroy or Sean Lowry, but Ball leading the Irish with 18 holes left. He made the most of his moving day, jumping 17 places on the leaderboard. I’m not sure how much staying power he has in this game, but if the Prophet likes his compatriot’s ability to play well in bad weather, maybe we should give Power the same skepticism.
T7. Stuart Cink, Bubba Watson and Justin Thomas (-2): If there’s a final-round 63 from Johnny Miller on Sunday, it’s likely to come from this group. On another Saturday in the majors, Thomas disappointed as the 2017 PGA Championship champion signed a 4-over 74. His two older politicians looked more at ease, and his push for No. 2 in a Grand Slam may have gone a little too far.
T10. Webb Simpson, Max Homa, and five others (-1): Simpson set off early and made the most of moving day as he was on the number until the weekend. Signing a 5-under 65, the former U.S. Open champion went from a tie for 64th at the start of the day to a top-10 finish by the end of the round. His odds of winning remain slim, but if he can somehow repeat his third-round performance, Simpson has a chance to add a second major title to his resume.
T17. Rory McIlroy, Zander Schauffele and four others (E): Rory shot a 5-under 65 on Thursday, and if he has kept his tee since then, his lead is just a few strokes ahead. Instead, the four-time Grand Slam champion found himself eight shots behind after consecutive over-par rounds. If Friday was a disappointment, I’m not sure how McIlroy would describe Saturday’s 74. The Northern Irishman will endure a severe eight-year drought unless he can summon his same Sunday magic from Augusta.
