PGA

Through the first round, there's plenty of company atop the leaderboard at the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.

Cameron Young, Luke List, Cameron Smith, K.H. Lee, Davis Riley and Mackenzie Hughes are all tied for the lead at five under. Will Zalatoris, Denny McCarthy, Sahith Theegala and Wyndham Clark are tied for seventh at four under.

Hughes grabbed a share of first in dramatic fashion. He holed out from the fringe on his final hole.

Tying the lead at the last.@MacHughesGolf chips in for birdie for a first round 67 @MemorialGolf pic.twitter.com/KOmRDUoNNd

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 2, 2022

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2022 Memorial Leaderboard—First Round

T1. Cameron Young (-5)

T1. Luke List (-5)

T1. Cameron Smith (-5)

T1. K.H. Lee (-5)

T1. Mackenzie Hughes (-5)

T1. Davis Riley (-5)

T7. Will Zalatoris (-4)

T7. Denny McCarthy (-4)

T7. Sahith Theegala (-4)

T7. Wyndham Clark (-4)

Full leaderboard is available at the PGA Tour's official website

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Smith has been excellent this season, earning two wins and five top-10 finishes in his first 11 PGA Tour events, and a third victory could beckon this weekend.

The Australian was three under when he made the turn thanks to birdies on the 11th, 13th and 15th holes. He then had an eventful back nine that included four birdies and two bogeys. An 18-foot birdie putt on No. 9 put him into a tie for first before he headed to the clubhouse.

Saucy stuff from Cameron Smith 🤌 pic.twitter.com/Csvcfwl9wT

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 2, 2022

Long birdie at the last for Cameron Smith.

He joins the leaders at -5. pic.twitter.com/BWmZErmOsF

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 2, 2022

Despite a nice showing so far, Young might be slightly disappointed he didn't do more.

The PGA Tour rookie was already at five under halfway through the round.

Cameron Young jumps out to a two-shot lead @MemorialGolf pic.twitter.com/o7Fb37Ziui

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 2, 2022

But Young bogeyed Nos. 1 and 6 to cancel out some of his progress. He rebounded with birdies on Nos. 7 and 9—the latter of which required a 28-foot putt to connect.

"I just hit a bunch of good shots early and made kind of the crucial little saves to kind of keep that momentum going with some pars," Young said of his round. "The eagle in the middle was obviously a nice little bonus."

Even more so than Young, Corey Conners might feel he squandered a golden opportunity.

Conners was five under through his first six holes. Rather than whether he'd be tied for the lead, the question seemed to center around the margin by which he'd be leading through 18 holes.

Instead, Conners' momentum came to an abrupt halt. A bogey on No. 17 dropped him to four under before the turn, and he fell further with bogeys on the first and third holes.

A two-shot deficit is far from insurmountable, but those mistakes could prove costly with as tightly packed as the Memorial leaderboard is.

Last year, Jon Rahm was forced to withdraw from the Memorial after testing positive for COVID-19. He had been up six shots through three rounds when he exited. There has already been a notable dismissal this year, albeit under less consequential circumstances.

PGA Tour rules officials disqualified Hideki Matsuyama because of an equipment violation.

Hideki Matsuyama has been disqualified from @MemorialGolf for a non-conforming club (rule 4.1a). pic.twitter.com/7Z1HHH0LwG

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 2, 2022

Hideki Matsuyama gets DQ’d for a marking on the face of his fairway wood.

The 📸 🐐 @gdm43pga managed to snap this one of Hideki’s at Muirfield. Gotta assume the white areas, which were likely meant to frame the face and center, caused the DQ. Wild stuff. pic.twitter.com/Ek4Oj1xeH9

— Jonathan Wall (@jonathanrwall) June 2, 2022

Matsuyama had gotten off to a slow start, going three over on the front nine. He at least stuck around long enough to provide one of Thursday's most improbable shots:

Saved by the bridge 😅 pic.twitter.com/COEgxvobdZ

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 2, 2022

Rahm is three shots off the pace he set in 2021. Last summer, he opened with a three-under 69 in the first round of the Memorial and only managed an even-par 72 on Thursday.

Defending champion Patrick Cantlay is in the same position, with he and Rahm among those tied for 48th. Considering two over was the cut line one year ago, either star could find himself in some danger Friday.

Things aren't looking good for Bryson DeChambeau in his first tournament back since the Masters.

A 39-foot birdie putt on No. 2 appeared to be a nice omen for the 2020 U.S. Open champion.

From 39 feet 🕳

@B_DeChambeau is right back to it. pic.twitter.com/b04XSWgPqw

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 2, 2022

The back nine proved to be disastrous for DeChambeau, though, and left him with an uphill battle to make the cut. He double-bogeyed No. 12 and closed out with three more bogeys over his last five holes.

Some rust was to be expected, and there's still time for DeChambeau to get back to his usual self ahead of the U.S. Open.

The Memorial will resume at 7 a.m. ET on Friday. The threesome of Jhonattan Vegas, Danny Lee and Patrick Rodgers will get started on No. 1 as Young, Camilo Villegas and Scott Stallings tee off at No. 10.

Star golfer Dustin Johnson was reportedly paid "around" $125 million to join the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf league, according to James Corrigan and Tom Morgan of the Telegraph (h/t Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post).

Johnson's defection from the PGA Tour to the controversial LIV Golf series caused one of his sponsors, the Royal Bank of Canada, to cut ties with him.

"As a result of the decisions made by professional golfers Dustin Johnson and Graeme McDowell to play the LIV Golf Invitational Series opener, RBC is terminating its sponsorship agreement with both players," the company said in a statement. "We wish them well in their future endeavors."

A number of other prominent golfers, including McDowell, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Kevin Na, Lee Westwood, Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer, Charl Schwartzel and Talor Gooch, will participate in London's LIV Golf Invitational Series, June 9-11.

The new league has reportedly been willing to throw major money around to entice former and current players.

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus said earlier in May that he was offered $100 million to serve in an executive role, though he told reporters Tuesday he had "zero interest in wanting to do something like that. ... My allegiance has been to the PGA Tour."

Phil Mickelson, meanwhile, was one of the first golfers to align himself with the league, though he will not participate in London.

Mickelson's controversial comments in November to his biographer, Alan Shipnuck, about why he supported the Saudi-backed league became public in February:

They're scary motherf--kers to get involved with. We know they killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates. They've been able to get by with manipulative, coercive, strong-arm tactics because we, the players, had no recourse. As nice a guy as [PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan] comes across as, unless you have leverage, he won't do what's right. And the Saudi money has finally given us that leverage. I'm not sure I even want [the SGL] to succeed, but just the idea of it is allowing us to get things done with the [PGA] Tour.

Mickelson hasn't played a professional tournament since January.

Saudi Arabia's history of human rights violations and sportswashing has made LIV Golf a controversial endeavor. The PGA Tour, meanwhile, has fought back against the threat of talent defection by not granting a waiver to players for the London event and threatening to strip players of their membership if they join the breakaway league.

Johnson's defection was a major surprise, as he previously had announced he would remain with the PGA Tour.

"I am fully committed to the PGA Tour," he said in a February statement. "I am grateful for the opportunity to play on the best tour in the world and for all it has provided me and my family."

On Tuesday, Johnson's agent, David Winkle, released a statement on behalf of the golfer, saying it was in "his and his family's best interest" to join LIV Golf and that Johnson "has never had any issue with the PGA Tour and is grateful for all it has given him, but in the end, felt this was too compelling to pass up."

The Royal Bank of Canada confirmed it has terminated sponsorship contracts with longtime PGA Tour players Dustin Johnson and Graeme McDowell after they were listed as expected participants for the debut LIV Golf Invitational Series tournament.

"As a result of the decisions made by professional golfers Dustin Johnson and Graeme McDowell to play the LIV Golf Invitational Series opener, RBC is terminating its sponsorship agreement with both players. We wish them well in their future endeavors," an RBC spokesperson told ESPN's Mark Schlabach on Wednesday.

The first LIV event is scheduled to begin June 9 at the Centurion Club in London.

Johnson was the biggest surprise among those named on the entry list for next week's event. The two-time major champion said in February he was "fully committed" to the PGA Tour, but clearly changed his mind over the last three months.

His agent, David Winkle, released a statement Tuesday night about the decision.

"Dustin has been contemplating the opportunity off-and-on for the past couple of years. Ultimately, he decided it was in his and his family's best interest to pursue it," Winkle said. "Dustin has never had any issue with the PGA Tour and is grateful for all it has given him, but in the end, felt this was too compelling to pass up."

The LIV Golf Series will offer $255 million in prize money over eight events, per Schlabach.

In May, the PGA Tour announced it would deny waivers for players to compete in the rival tour and previously suggested players could face a permanent ban for playing in LIV events.

Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf and a 20-time winner on the PGA Tour, said he doesn't believe the Tour has legal standing to deny players freedom of tour movement, per Schlabach.

"I can only speak on information given to me by our legal team, and I have an extremely talented legal team in antitrust and anti-competitive laws, and we believe we're in the right position," Norman said. "We believe the players are independent contractors and have a right to go play wherever they want to go play."

The issue is likely heading toward an extended court battle.

In the meantime, it's unclear whether golfers who take part in the first LIV Series tournament will be eligible for the last two major tournaments of the 2021-22 season, the U.S. Open in mid-June and The Open Championship in mid-July.

McDowell has won four PGA Tour titles, including the 2010 U.S. Open, which saw him hold off the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els in the final round.

He's missed the cut in eight of the 15 PGA Tour events he's played this season and has yet to record a top-10 finish.

Former PGA Tour and Champions Tour golfer Bart Bryant was killed in a car crash on Tuesday at the age of 59, the PGA Tour confirmed Wednesday.

The PGA TOUR Champions family is mourning the tragic passing of Bart Bryant.

He was a champion on and off the course and will be dearly missed by many.

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) June 1, 2022

The Polk County Sheriff's Office confirmed to TMZ that Bryant was killed "after a pickup failed to stop and slammed into the back of his Volkswagen SUV." He was found unresponsive by police before CPR was performed and he was transported to a local hospital where he later died. Bryant's wife was also hurt in the crash, suffering "minor injuries."

"The PGA Tour is saddened by the tragic passing of Bart Bryant and our hearts go out to his family and friends during this difficult time," commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. "The Bryants have been a part of the PGA Tour family for over four decades and we are grateful for the impact and legacy he made on our organization and countless communities. Bart will be dearly missed."

Bryant won three events on the PGA Tour, his first coming at the 2004 Valero Texas Open. It was his 187th start after first turning pro in 1986.

Though he was 41 years old at the time of his first win, Bryant found even more success in 2005 when he won the Memorial Tournament and the Tour Championship. In the latter victory, he finished six strokes ahead of runner-up Tiger Woods.

Bryant finished in the top 10 of the money list that season and reached a high of No. 22 in the world rankings.

The veteran eventually moved onto the Champions Tour in 2013, twice winning the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open. His last start came in March 2020, finishing tied for 18th at the Cologuard Classic.

Bryant is also part of a successful golf family, with his brother Brad winning on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, including the 2007 U.S. Senior Open.

Golfing legend Jack Nicklaus told reporters Tuesday that he met with the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series as a mere "courtesy" since his company, Nicklaus Design, is "doing a golf course" for the Saudis.

"I've got zero interest in wanting to do something like that," he added. "I don't care what kind of money they would have thrown at me. My allegiance has been to the PGA Tour. I grew up on the PGA Tour. I helped found the PGA Tour as it is today. My allegiance is there and it's going to stay there."

Earlier in May, Nicklaus told the Fire Pit Collective the Saudis made him a huge offer to join the LIV Golf Invitational Series.

"I was offered something in excess of $100 million by the Saudis, to do the job probably similar to the one that [LIV Golf chief executive Greg Norman] is doing," he said. "I turned it down. Once verbally, once in writing. I said, 'Guys, I have to stay with the PGA Tour. I helped start the PGA Tour.'"

In 1968, players like Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and others broke apart from the PGA of America and started the PGA Tour, seeking better player treatment and more money.

There are some parallels to players like Phil Mickelson considering LIV Golf. The difference, of course, is Saudi Arabia's history of human-rights violations and sportswashing endeavors.

Even Mickelson acknowledged as much in November while speaking to Alan Shipnuck for his book Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf's Most Colorful Superstar (h/t the Fire Pit Collective):

They're scary motherf--kers to get involved with. We know they killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates. They've been able to get by with manipulative, coercive, strong-arm tactics because we, the players, had no recourse. As nice a guy as [PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan] comes across as, unless you have leverage, he won't do what's right. And the Saudi money has finally given us that leverage. I'm not sure I even want [the SGL] to succeed, but just the idea of it is allowing us to get things done with the [PGA] Tour.

That hasn't stopped players like Robert Garrigus, Lee Westwood and Richard Bland from joining LIV Golf, or others like Sergio Garcia, Jason Kokrak, and Adam Scott from expressing interest in the breakaway league.

Monahan already announced earlier in May that PGA Tour players would not be granted a waiver to participate in the first LIV Golf Invitational Series event in June, amid previous threats that any defecting players would be stripped of their PGA Tour membership.

It remains to be seen how many players cross that line. Nicklaus, at least, won't be joining them.

Justin Thomas earned his second career major championship and some praise from arguably the greatest golfer in the sport's history on Sunday.

Tiger Woods congratulated his good friend after Thomas held off Will Zalatoris in a three-hole playoff to win the 2022 PGA Championship:

Big congrats to @JustinThomas34! He kept himself in this championship until the very end and once he got his shot he didn’t look back. Thanks to Tulsa and the @PGAChampionship for a great week.

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) May 23, 2022

Woods also competed in the tournament at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but withdrew following the third round. It was just the second official tour event since November 2020 for the 15-time major champion, who suffered serious leg injuries in a February 2021 car crash.

Much like Woods has done a number of times throughout his career, Thomas kept the pressure on the top of the leaderboard with a strong finish. His final bogey came on the sixth hole in Sunday's final round, and he birdied Nos. 9, 11, 12 and 17.

That paid off when Mito Pereira lost his one-stroke lead with a double-bogey on the 18th hole, and Thomas took advantage of the opportunity by defeating Zalatoris in the playoff.

Justin Thomas winning the PGA Championship on Sunday came as a massive surprise to many after he faced a seven-shot deficit heading into the final round.

But after his victory, Thomas told CBS Sports' Amanda Balionis that his comeback didn't shock him that much.

"It's funny, I was asked early in the week about what lead is safe, and I said, 'No lead,'" Thomas explained. "This place is so tough, but if you hit the fairways, you can make birdies, and I stayed so patient. I just couldn't believe I found myself in a playoff."

After shooting a three-under 67 in the final round, Thomas defeated Will Zalatoris in a three-hole playoff to win the second PGA Championship of his career following his 2017 victory. Mito Pereira held the lead after the first three rounds, but he faltered with a five-over 75 on Sunday. Thomas tied for the largest final-round comeback in PGA Championship history, joining John Mahaffey's 1978 performance.

A key moment in the playoff for Thomas came on the 17th hole when he drove the ball off the tee to within 35 feet and dropped it in for a two-putt birdie. He then made par on the 18th to secure the win.

"That was a nice one," Thomas admitted. "The wind off the left with the 3-wood isn't exactly my favorite. So, I hit a beautiful shot in regulation in that bunker like we wanted to, and I hit essentially the same shot, just had a little bit more cut on it, and for it to go up on the green was nice to put probably a little bit of heat on Will. I don't know, I like these 17th holes in the PGA Championship, so I'd like to keep making a habit of that."

This was the first playoff in a major since the 2017 Masters, when Sergio Garcia defeated Justin Rose, ending the longest streak in major championship history at 19 straight majors without a playoff.

Justin Thomas survived a battle of wills Sunday at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to win the 2022 PGA Championship.

The two-time major champion bested Will Zalatoris in a three-hole playoff.

Justin Thomas is your 2022 #PGAChamp.@JustinThomas34 pic.twitter.com/TMUlufEtJ5

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 22, 2022

All the feels. #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/DxG6HXmVOa

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 22, 2022

Thomas and Zalatoris were tied at five-under through 72 holes. Both earned birdies on the 17th hole that took on an added importance when the final round drew to a close.

Mito Pereira melted down on the final hole, throwing away a one-shot lead and missing the playoff altogether. He claimed a share of third place with Cameron Young.

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PGA Championship Leaderboard

1. Justin Thomas (-5)

2. Will Zalatoris (-5)

T3. Cameron Young (-4)

T3. Mito Pereira (-4)

T5. Tommy Fleetwood (-3)

T5. Chris Kirk (-3)

T5. Matt Fitzpatrick (-3)

8. Rory McIlroy (-2)

T9. Brendan Steele (-1)

T9. Tom Hoge (-1)

T9. Abraham Ancer (-1)

T9. Seamus Power (-1)

Full leaderboard available at PGATour.com

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Simply getting to the playoff represented an incredible turnaround for Thomas, who trailed Pereira by seven shots following the third round.

Justin Thomas entered the final round trailing Mito Pereira by seven shots.

Largest final-round comeback at the PGA Championship: 7 (John Mahaffey/1978).

— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) May 22, 2022

There wasn't any daylight between Thomas and Zalatoris after the first playoff hole as they each birdied.

The latter blinked first on the second playoff hole as his tee shot landed well to the right of the green on the edge of the rough. The former hit his drive flush and got onto the green.

JT hits the green on 17!#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/Eu0xti8Rsm

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 22, 2022

A birdie gave Thomas a one-shot edge with one playoff hole remaining. He kept the pressure squarely on Zalatoris with another excellent drive. Zalatoris' approach did him few favors as it bounced onto the green but rolled along the fringe to the front end of the putting surface.

That allowed Thomas to two-putt his way to victory.

He nearly completed the comeback in regulation but watched his birdie putt on No. 18 roll to the right of the cup. Pereira could've effectively put one hand on the Wanamaker Trophy on No. 17. Instead, the ball stopped inches from the cup as he was putting for birdie.

This is how close Mito Pereira's birdie putt was to falling on the 17th, which would've given him a two-shot lead. pic.twitter.com/azLMlIh7ed

— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 22, 2022

The outcome is far different if either of those putts lands.

Missing out on an extra stroke proved especially costly after Pereira hit his tee shot on the 18th hole into the water. Getting a par to clinch the title was almost impossible, and getting the bogey necessary to force a three-hole playoff wasn't without difficulty, either.

Mito Pereira finds the water with his drive on the 18th. 👀 pic.twitter.com/TU9lYYbSfI

— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 22, 2022

After taking a one-shot penalty, he hit his approach into the rough and misjudged the power required for his subsequent chip as the ball rolled off the green entirely. When the dust settled, he double-bogeyed and played himself out of the playoff, capping off a devastating collapse.

Pereira was up three shots on Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick coming into the final day. Based on the scoring from the earlier tee times, his advantage felt even bigger as many struggled with the course conditions.

Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood and Kevin Streelman ultimately posted the lowest score of the day: three-under 67. That didn't spell good news for the challengers attempting to chase down Pereira.

After his third bogey of the round put him at four-under for the tournament, Fitzpatrick seemingly watched his title hopes go up in smoke.

Zalatoris, meanwhile, canceled out back-to-back birdies with two straight bogeys on the front nine. With another bogey on No. 12, he ceded more ground to Pereira.

The Chilean left the door open, though. He made the turn at two-over for the round and needed to sink a tricky par putt on No. 9 to maintain his lead at the time.

Lead still intact 🙌

Mito saves par to avoid 3 straight bogeys and makes the turn at -7.pic.twitter.com/dGOSZimsVN

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 22, 2022

Pereira began a bit of a roller-coaster ride when he walked up to the 12th tee. A bogey immediately followed that cost him sole possession of first place, but he responded with a birdie on No. 13. Coupled with a bogey from Young, that boosted his lead stood at two shots.

Bouncing back after a bogey.

Mito Pereira extends the lead to 2 at -7.pic.twitter.com/eY6OUOy7Cb

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 22, 2022

Then he bogeyed No. 14 to slip to six under, which was good enough to fend off Zalatoris and Young.

But another serious contender entered the fray when Thomas birdied No. 17 to improve to five under. Even Fitzpatrick couldn't be written off in fifth place.

Pereira -6
Thomas -5
Zalatoris -5
Young -5
Fitzpatrick -4

What a finish this is going to be. #PGAChamp

— Lukas Weese (@Weesesports) May 22, 2022

Still, the stars continued to align for Pereira. In a matter of moments, Young and Zalatoris had a double bogey and bogey, respectively, on No. 16.

That left Pereira with a straightforward path to the Wanamaker. Aside from his bogey on the 14th hole, he hadn't appeared rattled as the tension intensified.

The tee shot on No. 18 will likely live long in his memory because it was the moment everything began to spiral. It was a collapse of Van de Velde-ian proportions.

The Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, is the next stop on the PGA Tour. After that, there will only be two more stops until the third major tournament of the year—the U.S. Open tees off in Brookline, Massachusetts.

The hard part's over for Justin Thomas. Now it's time to celebrate.

Thomas won the second major title of his career by outlasting Will Zalatoris in a three-hole playoff in Sunday's final round of the 2022 PGA Championship. It didn't take him long to find his fiancee, Jillian Wisniewski, and father, Mike Thomas, and celebrate:

"It's just in time again at the PGA Championship."
Justin Thomas wins The Wanamaker Trophy for the second time! pic.twitter.com/2gTDXm7kRB

— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 22, 2022

It's time to celebrate, @JustinThomas34! 🤗 pic.twitter.com/gmowILAKsN

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) May 22, 2022

Thomas announced his engagement to Wisniewski in November.

He was brilliant down the stretch of Sunday's final round with birdies on Nos. 9, 11, 12 and 17 to go with zero bogeys after the sixth hole. Still, he needed some help with Mito Pereira falling apart on the final hole.

Pereira had a one-stroke lead and needed a par to clinch the win and a bogey to force a three-way playoff, but he hit his drive in the water and eventually settled for a double bogey.

That set up the showdown between Thomas and Zalatoris, and the victor took control by driving the green and posting a birdie on the short par-four on the second of three playoff holes.

Sunday was a good day for Justin Thomas.

Not only did he win the 2022 PGA Championship by outlasting Will Zalatoris in a three-hole playoff, he pocketed a cool $2.7 million in the process. According to Patrick McDonald of CBS Sports, this year's second major featured a $15 million total purse with $2.7 million going to the victor and $1.6 million going to the second-place finisher.

Thomas entered the tournament 16th in career earnings among current players at $47.2 million, per the PGA Tour's official website, and now has a second major championship on his resume.

He also triumphed at the 2017 PGA Championship.

It didn't appear as if the 29-year-old was going to win for much of Sunday's final round considering Mito Pereira was nine under at the start of play and could have cruised to victory with anything resembling his performances in those first three rounds.

Instead, he shot a five-over 75 that included an absolute collapse on the final hole.

After Pereira's birdie putt came one rotation short on the 17th hole, which prevented him from taking a two-stroke cushion with one hole remaining, he hit his final tee shot into the water. He also chipped it across the green later in the hole and settled for a double-bogey.

A par would have clinched his first PGA Tour victory, and even a bogey would have forced a three-way playoff.

Alas, it was Thomas and Zalatoris who played a three-hole playoff. They each birdied the first playoff hole, but Thomas drove the green on the short par four and birdied to seize control of the tournament.

He never let it go and clinched the second major championship of his career.

The payday makes it that much sweeter.