The 2022 PGA Championship was a truly excellent tournament that occurred this weekend that had a ton of intrigue at the end. The contest ended in the first playoff in the event since 2011. Justin Thomas and Will Zalatoris went to the playoff, and Thomas outlasted Zalatoris to become a two-time PGA champion.
A Bit of a Collapse
Mito Pereira was in control of the tournament for most of the contest until he stepped onto the 18th tee with a one-shot lead. He hit the ball right into the water and took a double-bogey, pushing him to a tie for third.
The round of 75 was very disappointing for Pereira, and it opened the door for Thomas, who was down seven strokes to begin the day, to come back and win the event.
Justin Thomas Played Steady
Thomas needed to play as solid as possible on Sunday to win the event. He started the day at even par and fought his way to five-under with a final round of 65. This put him in a playoff with Zalatoris, where he played very well.
In the PGA Championship, you’ll see a three-hole aggregate played, and Thomas was clutch throughout. He birdied the first hole, drove the green on the second, and then calmly parred the final hole to win the PGA Championship.
Thomas, the son of a PGA professional, became the only golfer to be the son of a professional and win the PGA Championship twice.
How Did Some Other Notables Finish?
One of the most notable stories of the weekend was Tiger Woods. He made the cut but was laboring on his right leg throughout.
After a third-round 79, Woods withdrew from the event. He did not pull out because he played badly but rather because his right leg was bothering him.
Rory McIlroy got off to a great start on Thursday and settled in at ninth place, shooting a two-under on the weekend. Two popular betting picks for the weekend, Dustin Johnson and Scottie Scheffler, both missed the cut at +6.
Another popular betting pick this year has been Matthew Wolff. He missed the cut and was +13 on the two days he played.
The defending champion, Phil Mickelson, was not in attendance in the event as he decided not to play in the tournament this year – for obvious reasons.
What Type of Fanfare Did the Event Get?
This year’s PGA Championship was great from a fan’s perspective because the course was laid out tough, and it set up for a great final day. Golfers were not going out and shooting whatever scores they wanted but had to work for their birdies, which is somewhat of a change for most events.
With the event making it to the first playoff in 11 years and the winner coming back from seven strokes down to begin the day, there was a lot of buzz around the tournament. Any buzz around the PGA tour is good buzz right now.
