Finau, Thompson talk QBE Shootout

TULSA, Okla. – After opening the PGA Championship with rounds of 68 and 64, Mito Pereira has taken the lead early in the third round at the PGA Championship. The 27-year-old from Chile is playing his first full season as a TOUR member and looking to make a major his first PGA TOUR victory. Here’s Five Things to Know about the leader at the PGA Championship: 1. THREE’S COMPANY Pereira earned his first PGA TOUR card by winning three times on the Korn Ferry Tour during the extended 2020-21 season, becoming the 12th player to earn a three-win promotion from that circuit and the first since 2016. His first win came at the Country Club de Bogota in February 2020. Sixteen months later, he won back-to-back starts to graduate to the PGA TOUR. In those last two events, he was 48 under par and had a 65.1 scoring average. His highest score in that span was 67. “This is crazy, man,” Pereira said after the win. “This is by far the best thing that I’ve done in my life. … It’s been a long ride. There’s been tough moments, good moments, but it’s all worth it.” It didn’t take him long to have success on the PGA TOUR. He had back-to-back top-6 finishes in July before finishing fourth at the Olympics, falling in the seven-man playoff for the bronze medal. 2. STANDING ROOM Pereira entered this week ranked 46th in the FedExCup and 100th in the world ranking. A third-place finish in the season-opening Fortinet Championship is his lone top-10 of the season. He entered the week with four consecutive top-30 finishes in individual tournaments, though, including a T17 at last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson. The stats show that ballstriking is Pereira’s strength, which is paying off this week. He’s fourth this season in greens in regulation (71.4%), 13th in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green (+0.67) and 30th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (+0.45). He ranks outside the top 100 in both Strokes Gained metrics that measure short-game performance (Putting and Around-the-Green), however. He’s also 16th in the standings for this year’s International Presidents Cup team. 3. PHENOM-ENAL Pereira was something of a junior phenom in his native Chile. He was runner-up in the boys 10-11 division of the 2006 Optimist International Junior Golf Championship and won the 12-13 division two years later (Beau Hossler finished third, one stroke back). Pereira enrolled at the prestigious IMG Academy in Florida when he was 14 but was burnt out after six months and quit the game for two years. When he decided to start playing again, he quickly picked up where he left off, however. “I took the two years off but when I came back I knew I could do it, I knew I could get to here,” he said Friday, “and I just kept the confidence, and obviously there were some up and downs but (I’m) really happy to be here.” He won on the Chilean Professional Tour when he was 17 and embarked for Lubbock, Texas, to play one season at Texas Tech, reaching as high as No. 5 in the world amateur world ranking before turning pro in 2015 after his freshman season. The Big 12 Championship was played at Southern Hills for Pereira’s lone season with the Red Raiders. He finished eighth, nine shots back of winner Scottie Scheffler. Pereira finished third on the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica Order of Merit in 2016, racking up a win and three-other top-3 finishes, to earn Korn Ferry Tour status. He finished a solid 76th on the Korn Ferry Tour money list the next year before losing his card in 2018. He returned to Latinoamerica for one season before making it back to the KFT. 4. RISING STARS Pereira is the third Chilean to earn a PGA TOUR card, after Benjamin Alvarado and Joaquin Niemann. Pereira and Niemann, 23, have been friends since they were kids. They used to practice together daily and shared a coach, Eduardo Miguel, who still coaches both of them. Pereira also resided in Niemann’s South Florida home after the COVID-19 pandemic made international travel impossible, and had his Korn Ferry Tour trophies sent to Niemann’s home. Niemann was known in their younger days for wearing a lot of yellow. “He looked like a bee,” said Pereira. Niemann also looked up to the older Pereira. “We all grew up together,” said Carlos Bustos, another Chilean who played college golf at Florida. “Mito was always better because he was older than us. He was on another level at that age, when we were like 13, 14, I mean he was an unbelievable golfer.” Niemann went on to become the No. 1 amateur in the world before winning twice on the PGA TOUR. He and Pereira were teammates at last year’s Olympics and now look to team together again at this year’s Presidents Cup. 5. ADRENALINE JUNKY Pereira is known as a bit of an adrenaline junkie, which could help him cope with the stress of a major championship. He’s a fan of motocross and MotoGP (Grand Prix motorcycle racing). After enduring a difficult season on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2018 and failing to regain his status at Q-School, Pereira broke his collarbone when he fell off his bike. The injury may have been a blessing in disguise. “Obviously in that moment it was terrible,” he said. “But if I look back, it probably helped me a little bit. It was a month that I didn’t play. I cooled down and took all the bad things out.” He also discovered a mental coach, Eugenio Lisama, who works with Formula 1 racers and soccer players. Pereira says working with sensors on his brain and analyzing the data was “like going to the gym for your brain.” “He showed me some data of those guys and it’s unbelievable,” Pereira said about the athletes who engage their brain much quicker than he does playing golf. “But we all need our minds to be blank. That’s what he teaches and trains with me on.”

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A year after THE PLAYERS Championship returned to March, it will be possible for your experience as a viewer to match up with the Power Rankings. RELATED: Featured Groups | Pete Dye: The genius who loathed plans | Hotspot: The best moments on No. 17 See, for the first time in PGA TOUR history, every stroke by every golfer in the field will be captured on camera. “Every Shot Liveâ€� includes shot trails, ShotLink measurements and other visuals in a robust presentation. To prep you for that unprecedented offering, all 144 in the field at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass are slotted below. Beneath the final section are the usual details on the course, what it takes to prevail and much more. Enjoy! WILD CARD Collin Morikawa … This is a nod of well-earned respect. He’s the only first-timer listed higher than Sleepers on this page. It’s not only because he’s already carved out a glowing reputation as a phenomenal ball-striker who also happens not have missed a cut in all 20 PGA TOUR starts as a professional, it’s that he’s making his debut fresh off a hard-fought T9 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Until then, the 23-year-old hadn’t made much noise on tough tracks, although it’s no fault of his own. He just hadn’t played on many. However, on what was the hardest par 72 in a non-major in four years, he ranked fourth in total driving, T4 in greens hit and third in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. He also paced the field in par-5 scoring. (For more on the challenges that first-timers face, scroll to DEBUTANTS below.) DRAWS With the treatment of a full-field Power Rankings, Draws and Fades are carried over from their usual spots in the weekly Fantasy Insider preview. (The FI will publish on Tuesday in an abridged format.) Draws are golfers worthy of strong consideration to contend. Each presents his own positive attributes to be included. Ranked in order of Rob’s confidence (# – second appearance) Matthew Fitzpatrick Louis Oosthuizen Sergio Garcia (winner: 2008) Ian Poulter Brandt Snedeker #Abraham Ancer Kevin Kisner Tony Finau Byeong Hun An Shane Lowry Graeme McDowell SLEEPERS Limiting this grouping to the customary five in a full-field Power Rankings is unreasonable, so the smattering consists of 17. (The usual criteria used to rule out Sleepers also is ignored.) Each brings firepower, phenomenal form, course success and course fit without similarly strong support from another of those identifiers. Ranked in order of Rob’s confidence (* – debutant; # – second appearance) #Joel Dahmen Harris English Sung Kang *Max Homa Danny Lee #Wyndham Clark Brian Harman Branden Grace Jhonattan Vegas Ryan Moore #Corey Conners *Viktor Hovland #Carlos Ortiz #J.T. Poston Emiliano Grillo *K.H. Lee Cameron Tringale TWEENERS For working purposes, golfers included here can’t be attached convincingly to another section. There are household names who deserve respect but either haven’t been performing well of late or haven’t showcased their talent at TPC Sawgrass. Others could go unrecognized walking down a crowded street and have played well consistently this year, but they haven’t checked any box to warrant that the mojo will stay alive on this course at this time. Bottom line, this is where the philosophy of second chances meets those with potential. Ranked in order of Rob’s confidence (* – debutant; # – second appearance) Rickie Fowler (winner: 2015) Billy Horschel *Scottie Scheffler Kevin Na #Matt Wallace Cameron Smith Paul Casey Bubba Watson Ryan Palmer Tom Hoge Russell Henley Brendon Todd Pat Perez #Adam Long *Lanto Griffin Justin Rose Chez Reavie Brooks Koepka Rafa Cabrera Bello Nick Taylor Keegan Bradley Henrik Stenson (winner: 2009) Adam Hadwin Bud Cauley Russell Knox Zach Johnson #Denny McCarthy Harold Varner III #Sam Ryder Bernd Wiesberger Andrew Landry Jim Furyk Brice Garnett Rory Sabbatini Jason Dufner Retief Goosen FADES In opposition to Draws above, every golfer in this section presents at least one compelling reason why an appearance on a Sunday leaderboard would be unexpected. Form upon arrival, course history, poor fit and known injuries all contribute to their inclusion. Note the absence of a second-time participant in the group. Ranked in order of Rob’s confidence (* – debutant) Danny Willett Jimmy Walker Charley Hoffman Jordan Spieth Phil Mickelson (winner: 2007) Charles Howell III Keith Mitchell Patrick Rodgers Jason Kokrak Nick Watney Si Woo Kim (winner: 2017) Matt Jones *Joaquin Niemann Lucas Glover Francesco Molinari Kevin Streelman Mackenzie Hughes Troy Merritt Scott Brown Brian Stuard Kyle Stanley C.T. Pan Martin Laird Kiradech Aphibarnrat Aaron Baddeley Scott Stallings Scott Piercy Luke List Chesson Hadley Matt Every Patton Kizzire Ryan Armour Brian Gay Vaughn Taylor J.B. Holmes Michael Thompson Peter Malnati J.J. Spaun Kevin Tway Chris Stroud Jim Herman SOPHOMORES (not ranked above) The 18 qualifiers making their second start at TPC Sawgrass will be competing to join 2017 champion Si Woo Kim as the only to prevail in the first return trip. The seven who didn’t appear above are slotted here. Ranked in order of Rob’s confidence Talor Gooch Cameron Champ Mark Hubbard Andrew Putnam Tyler Duncan Aaron Wise Bronson Burgoon DEBUTANTS (not ranked above) After Jerry Pate (1982) and Hal Sutton (1983) won the first two editions of THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass, only Craig Perks (2002) has joined the club of champions who were making their debuts on the course. Of the 22 in last year’s field, four finished inside the top 25. As this phenomenon is concerned, that’s a bonanza, but there’s a rub. Eddie Pepperell, who finished T3 for the only top 10 among the newcomers, failed to qualify this year. Seven of the 19 first-timers appeared above. The remaining dozen are listed here. Ranked in order of Rob’s confidence Christiaan Bezuidenhout Erik van Rooyen Sebastián Muñoz Matthew Wolff Victor Perez Nate Lashley Dylan Frittelli Adam Schenk Sam Burns Sepp Straka Jazz Janewattananond Roger Sloan Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood, Jonas Blixt, Kelly Kraft and Shugo Imahira qualified, but each is sitting out for various reasons. The 39th edition of THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is the first without Pete Dye. The co-designer left us two months ago, but he was around for the tournament’s shift back to March. After a dozen editions contested in the first half of May, THE PLAYERS reclaimed its once-traditional slot on the calendar last year, but it’s as if the lion forgot to sharpen its teeth. In variable wind and conditions that deteriorated into cool air with spotty rain showers, Rory McIlroy prevailed at 16-under 272 on the stock par 72. That matched the second-lowest winning score when the event was held in May (2007-2018). Reinvention is the through line for maturity, and the best golfers in the world didn’t need much time to adapt in the era after the comprehensive renovation in advance of the 2017 edition. After the upgrades debuted at well above one stroke over par, the last two years yielded scoring averages within one-tenth of one stroke of each other despite the tournament’s two-month move in between. Last year’s fell at just 71.513. Expect a similar average again this week. No matter how any field fared, Dye took joy in the resiliency of the property in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, that he and his late wife, Alice, brought to life together 40 years ago. It’s always been a track that has rewarded guts and grit with persistent reminders that the cost of failing to execute can be multiplied. Annually it ranks among the easiest on which to bag an eagle, but the risk for some rewards can result in irreversible damage. And all of that says nothing of the unforgiving par-3 17th hole. The value of “golf shot” is so great around the Stadium Course that score isn’t so much a measurement of strokes played as it is survival graded. There’s a reason why ball-strikers prevail, experience matters and no one ever has successfully defended a title. In fact, of the last 10 defending champions, only one (Webb Simpson, T16, 2019) has recorded a top-55 finish. TifEagle bermuda greens are ready to run as long as 13 feet on the Stimpmeter. With primary rough reaching two-and-a-half inches, bunters and newcomers alike are advised to find the shortest grass off the tee. All grass is overseeded. Seasonable weather is expected throughout the week. Daytime highs will approach 80 degrees. Winds will be moderate and steady, while the threat of rain probably isn’t worth the mention. The only modifications that might be noticeable for returning participants were made around the green on the par-4 10th hole where the bunker extends closer to the putting surface and the area on the back right isn’t as penal. However, the overall yardage of the Stadium Course remains the same at 7,189 yards. Certainly, the most significant updating impacted the prize fund. It’s increase to a record of $15 million. The champion will earn $2.7 million on top of 600 FedExCup points and a five-year PGA TOUR membership exemption. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous angles. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

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