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It’s been awhile since I’ve watched a demolition derby. On Sunday afternoon, I saw a most unusual demolition derby being contested on a gorgeous golf course in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In case you’re a bit fuzzy on how a demolition derby works, these events are usually held on a Friday or Saturday night at your local dirt racing track. A dozen or so junk car clunkers are dumped onto the track and then slowly ram into each other until one barely moving vehicle is left. That driver slowly emerges from the wreckage and collects a check, a trophy, and applause from the locals.
That’s pretty much what happened over the weekend in Tulsa at one of America’s greatest golf courses, Southern Hills Country Club. In this case, though, Justin Thomas collected a check worth an incredible $2.7 million plus the 26-pound PGA Wannamaker Trophy along with hearty applause from thousands of Oklahoma golf fans.
Justin Thomas emerged as the survivor of this weekend’s first golf major of the season as he and his playing competitors failed to capitalize – time after time – on this historic golf course on a beautiful cool Sunday afternoon.
After the first 18 holes at the 2022 PGA Championship, the leader was 5-under par.
By the end of play of four rounds and 72 holes on Sunday afternoon, the leader was still just 5-under par.
I love it!
I’m not a fan of seeing traditional championship golf layouts such Southern Hills Country Club being turned into a glorified drive, pitch, and putt competition by these golfers utilizing juiced golf balls and high tech equipment.
Mother Nature got into the act and decided to shake things up over the weekend.
The tournament’s weather was quite typical of Tulsa in late spring. On Thursday and Friday, it was sunny and warm with temperatures in the upper 80’s and a breezy southerly wind gusting over 20 miles per hour.
After the second round ended on Friday evening and the field was trimmed in half, the weather conditions pulled a switcheroo as a late season cold front dropped temperatures by nearly thirty degrees Saturday and northerly winds completely changed the way the golf course played. A little bit of drizzle on Saturday made playing conditions feel even chillier.
At the beginning of Saturday’s third round, the tournament leader (Will Zalatoris) was 9-under par. By the start of the final round on Sunday, the new leader, Mito Pereira, was also at -9.
By the end of Sunday’s final round, a 5-under par final score would be good enough to get any player into a playoff. Only two players (Justin Thomas and Will Zalatoris) were able to do that.
Justin Thomas (-2) was seven shots behind the leader at the start of the final round, but his three-under par 67 on Sunday was good enough to get him into a playoff later in the day.
Mito the Press:
Now in his first full season on the PGA Tour, Chile’s Mito Pereira looked steady as a rock for much of the final 36 holes.
During Sunday’s final round, the 27-year old golfer dropped a shot here and there but seemed calm and under control for nearly the entire day. He was at -6 and holding a one shot lead standing on the 18th tee on Sunday afternoon.
A creek hugs the right side of the fairway at the 495-yard par-4 18th hole. The same small body of water also crosses the entire fairway at about 325 yards off the tee. Golfers are forced to hit their second shot of nearly 200 yards up a 50-foot elevation rise into the green. The 18th hole at Southern Hills is renowned as one of the most difficult finishing holes in America.
When asked about 18th hole, PGA Tour veteran Matt Kuchar said, “It’s hard. It’s a beast!”
Leading by one shot, Mito Pereira (who was looking for his first win on the PGA Tour) stepped up to the 18th tee and pulled out his trusty driver. Alas, the young man’s nerves finally showed as he made a very unsightly golf swing.
It was so bad that even Charles Barkley (notorious for his choppy golf swing) may have winced at. The ball wound up going into the creek along the right side of the 18th fairway.
Mito Pereira took a penalty drop and then hit his third shot into the rough near the green. If he could just get up and down in two shots, he would still be tied with Justin Thomas and Will Zalatoris at 5-under par and enter the playoff for the championship. Alas, Mito’s chip shot zipped several feet past the hole, and he missed the putt coming back. That double bogey 6 on the 18th hole would not only cost him first place, but he also lost over $1.5 million in prize money by falling from first into a tie for third place.
Double ouch!
After the tournament, Mito Pereira bravely faced the media and admitted that he was a bit dazed by the pressure on the 18th tee box. He told reporters, “I wasn’t thinking about the water. It’s weird that it went in. I guess you have so much pressure in your body may be you don’t even know what you’re doing.”
Though some might equate this 18th hole disaster to Frenchman Jean Van De Velde’s cringeworthy final hole meltdown at the 1999 Open Championship, Mito Pereira was certainly disappointed but was pleased with his overall performance this week. He should bounce back!
These players also had their chance, too!
Will Zalatoris – Though he performed well (-1) in the three-hole playoff, Zalatoris is still searching for his first PGA win. He plays extremely well from tee to green, but his short putting stroke is very shaky under pressure.
Cameron Young – Just the opposite of Zalatoris, Cameron Young’s smooth putting kept him near the lead all day on Sunday. His weakness from the sand traps led to a double bogey on the 16th hole which cost him a spot in the playoff.
Matthew Fitzpatrick – The only golfer to shoot in the 60’s in each of the first three rounds, Fitzpatrick’s nerves got the better of him Sunday. A late chip-in for birdie boosted him back to 4-under par, but he failed to take advantage of the short par-4 17th hole (which was a birdie hole for many golfers). A bogey on #17 dropped him to -3 and two shots short of the playoff.
Rory McIlroy – The first round leader at 5-under par, McIlroy’s balky putter (a continuing problem in recent years) failed him all weekend. He rallied on Sunday to briefly get to -4, but he then fell back again to finish the tournament at 2-under par.
Abraham Ancer – Mexico’s talented young golfer seemed ready to make a move to the top of the leader board on Sunday. He was the only golfer with a PGA Tour win under his belt among the top five golfers as the final round began. He failed to answer (get it?) the bell on Sunday and shot 3-over par during his final round.
Woods WD-40’d…
Tiger Woods was mired in a tie for last place at 12-over par after a third round 79 Saturday, Woods announced his withdrawal from the tournament Saturday evening. In his typical over-controlling style, Woods refused to provide much in the way of details about the nature of his injuries or physical health. It is quite possible that Tiger Woods has underestimated the time needed to properly rehab from a serious one-car auto accident more than a year ago.
The winning golfer – Justin Thomas
Even after hitting a rare bad shot (a shank) early in the final round, Justin Thomas rallied late in the day to shoot a three-under par 67 Sunday and waited in the clubhouse for the other players to post a better score. Only Will Zalatoris was able to tie Thomas at -5, so a 3-hole playoff ensued. Thomas birdied the first two holes and closed-out Zalatoris with a tap-in par on #18 to secure his second major championship trophy.
The REAL winner – Southern Hills Country Club!
Southern Hills Country Club has been around since the 1930’s. The gently rolling terrain forces golfers to hit a wide variety of shots. There are doglegs left and right, fast greens, a ton of sand traps and a winding creek which comes into play on a lot of holes –especially on the dangerous 18th hole. Though Southern Hills Country Club played to about 6,900 yards in 1994’s PGA Championship, the course was lengthened to a monstrous 7,500 yards for this year’s event. No matter what length this course plays, Southern Hills always demands accuracy, patience, creativity, and timely putting from the winner.
Congratulations again to Justin Thomas! He endured a tough golf course in Southern Hills, the ever-changing weather conditions, and the top field in professional golf to earn this victory.