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There are undoubtedly more than a few people who’ve tuned into the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club, looked at the leaderboard, and asked the same question: Who is Mito Pereira? As with most professional golfers, Pereira learned the game at a young age. Pereira, whose given name is Guillermo Pereira Hinke, was born in March 1995 in Santiago, Chile, the same hometown as Joaquin Niemann. Hard to imagine that a country with only approximately 50 golf courses could produce two of the top players in the world, isn’t it? Pereira made a name for himself early, placing second in the Boys 10-11 division at the prestigious Optimist International Junior Golf Championship in 2006. Two years later, he won the 12-13 division. Another two years later, he was the runner-up at the Junior Open Championship in Scotland, a tournament run by The R&A. Patrick Reed won this very same tournament in 2006, and Jordan Spieth was the runner-up in 2008. So, yeah, it’s a big deal. Still an amateur at age 17, Pereira won a tournament on Chile’s professional tour, taking the title at the 2013 Abierto Internacional de Las Brisas de Chicureo. In 2014, he headed to the U.S. to take a golf scholarship at Texas Tech, where he played for one year. During that year, he reached as high as the No. 5 spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and decided to turn pro in 2015.
"I’ve just won three times in one year and going to the PGA Tour. This is by far the best thing that I've done in my life." Mito Pereira is the first Korn Ferry Tour pro to earn a PGA Tour promotion since 2016: //t.co/a60l3p23sS pic.twitter.com/g1AzVOyQKqMito Pereira had a highly successful amateur career
He was the top-ranked player on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica and won three times on the Korn Ferry Tour
Pereira joined the PGA Tour Latinoamerica for the 2016 season and was wildly successful, quickly becoming the youngest player ever to hold the tour’s No. 1 ranking. With a win, two runner-up finishes, and several other top-10s, Mito finished in the top five in the Order of Merit, earning full-time status for what’s now known as the Korn Ferry Tour.
He struggled a bit over the next few years, bouncing back and forth between the PGA Tour Latinoamerica and the Korn Ferry Tour, where he finally notched his first win in 2020 at the Country Club de Bogota Championship. In June 2021, he won the REX Hospital Open, which vaulted him into the top 200 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time.
Just one week later, he won again at the BMW Charity Pro-Am, a victory that bumped him up to No. 151 in the world. But that triumph earned him much more than some world ranking points.
Pereira earned instant status on the PGA Tour and finished tied for fourth at the Tokyo Olympics
With his win at the BMW, Mito Pereira became just the 12th player in the developmental tour’s history to earn instant status on the PGA Tour by winning three events in the span of a year and the first since 2016.
His first tournament as a PGA Tour member didn’t go like he’d hoped as he missed the cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, but he tied for 34th the following week at the John Deere Classic. Pereira earned his first top-5 finish the next week at the Barbasol Championship and then tied for sixth one week later at the 3M Open.
And one week after that, he made his home country proud with a fine showing at the Tokyo Olympics. Pereira was one of seven players to compete in the bronze-medal playoff, where he was eventually eliminated, earning a tie for fourth.
Seven weeks later, Pereira earned his highest PGA Tour finish to date, finishing in solo third at the Fortinet Championship, which vaulted him into the top 100 in the world rankings for the first time.
Imagine how many spots Mito Pereira could jump with a win at the PGA Championship.
Stats courtesy of PGATour.com
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RELATED: Who Is the Lowest-Ranked Golfer to Win a Major Championship?
TULSA, Oklahoma — Mito Pereira is a surprise contender at the 2022 PGA Championship, entering Sunday's final round with a three-shot lead on Will Zalatoris.
For those friendly sports wagerers among us, Pereira is looking like a great longshot pick, as Tipico had him at +140000 to win at Southern Hills Country Club before the tournament started.
But golf fans have been hearing his name for a while. The PGA Tour rookie earned his card after getting promoted from the Korn Ferry Tour in June 2021 via the Three-Victory Promotion, the first player to earn that since 2016 and 12th overall.
Pereira, who hails from Santiago, Chile, and grew up playing against Joaquin Niemann, is ranked 100th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Here are five things to know about the unheralded rookie leading the PGA Championship heading into Sunday's final round:
Played one college season before turning pro
Pereira was a member of the 2014-15 men’s golf team at Texas Tech. He finished second on the team with a 72.2 scoring average and was named to the All-Big 12 Championship team.
Nearly medaled at the Olympics
Pereira represented his home country of Chile in the men’s golf competition at the Summer Olympics in Japan in 2021.
He almost brought home some hardware, too, as he finished at 15 under and ended up in a wild seven-way playoff for the bronze medal along with Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Paul Casey, Sebastian Munoz and C.T. Pan. Pan eventually won the third-place prize.
Best PGA Tour finish is a solo third
Pereira has played in 27 PGA Tour events and made 17 cuts. His highest career finish is a solo third at the Fortinet Championship in September of 2021. It remains his lone top-10 finish. He finished tied for 17th in the AT&T Byron Nelson a week ago tuning up for Southern Hills.
Playing in just his second major
Pereira missed the cut in the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. The 2022 PGA Championship marks his second start in a major championship.
PGA win would be worth more than his career earnings
Pereira is staring down a first-place prize of $2.7 million with a win at Southern Hills. The PGA of America announced a $15 million purse and an increase in the winner’s check from $2.16 that Phil Mickelson won a year ago.
The $2.7 million would eclipse his total career earnings of $2,618,115.
- PGA TOUR: Winner, three 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour events (thru 2021-22)
- PGA TOUR Latinoamérica: 2016
- Korn Ferry Tour: 2017
- PGA TOUR: 2021
2020-21 Season
- Country Club de Bogota Championship
- REX Hospital Open
- BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation
PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Victories (1)
2016 Season
- Roberto De Vicenzo Punta del Este Open Copa NEC
Additional Victories (3)
- 2015 Abierto de Marina Golf Rapel [Chile]
- 2015 Abierto del Club de Polo [Chile]
- 2016 Abierto de Cachagua [Chile]
PLAYOFF RECORD
KORN FERRY TOUR (1-1)
- 2020-21 Lost to Paul Barjon, Billy Kennerly, Huntsville Championship
- 2020-21 Defeated Stephan Jaeger, REX Hospital Open
National Teams
Personal
- Started playing golf at an early age. His earliest golf memory is hitting balls with a plastic golf club.
- Bubba Stewart, a professional motocross racer, is his favorite athlete outside of golf.
- Chile's Universidad Católica is his favorite professional team.
- Interests include fishing and motocross.
Special Interests
CURRENT YEAR HIGHLIGHTS
- PGA Championship: Held a three-stroke lead entering the final round of the PGA Championship and carded a final-round 75 to finish T3. Made a double-bogey-6 at the 72nd hole to miss the playoff between Justin Thomas and Will Zalatoris by one stroke. Marked his second career appearance in a major championship and first since the 2019 U.S. Open. Co-led the field in Birdies (18) and Par-5 Scoring Average (4.25).
- Fortinet Championship: Finished solo-third at the Fortinet Championship, earning his first career top-three finish on the PGA TOUR. Co-led the field in Driving Accuracy Percentage (60.71 percent).
Career Highlights
2022 Season
- PGA Championship: Held a three-stroke lead entering the final round of the PGA Championship and carded a final-round 75 to finish T3. Made a double-bogey-6 at the 72nd hole to miss the playoff between Justin Thomas and Will Zalatoris by one stroke. Marked his second career appearance in a major championship and first since the 2019 U.S. Open. Co-led the field in Birdies (18) and Par-5 Scoring Average (4.25).
- Fortinet Championship: Finished solo-third at the Fortinet Championship, earning his first career top-three finish on the PGA TOUR. Co-led the field in Driving Accuracy Percentage (60.71 percent).
2021 Season
Promoted to the PGA TOUR in June 2021 via the Three-Victory Promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour. Became the 12th player to earn the promotion and first since 2016. First win of the combined 2020-21 season came at the 2020 Country Club de Bogota Championship, followed by back-to-back wins at the 2021 REX Hospital Open and BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX. Became the 11th player (12th occurrence) in history to win back-to-back events on the Korn Ferry Tour. Finished the regular season at No. 2 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, and was No. 5 on the combined season-long points list. In 32 starts, posted three wins, a T2, and a T3.
- Barbasol Championship: Finished T5 at the Barbasol Championship, earning his first top-10 on the PGA TOUR in his sixth career start.
- BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation: Earned his third Korn Ferry Tour victory of the season, winning the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation by four strokes to receive the Three-Victory Promotion to the PGA TOUR. Became the 12th player in Korn Ferry Tour history to earn the promotion (first since 2016) and 11th player (12th occurrence) to win back-to-back events on the Korn Ferry Tour.
- REX Hospital Open: Won his second title of the season at the REX Hospital Open, making birdie on the first extra hole to defeat Stephan Jaeger in a playoff. Held the outright lead after 36 holes and entered the final round with a share of the lead. Made 11 birdies in the first round and opened with a 9-under 62.
- Evans Scholars Invitational presented by First Midwest Bank: Played the weekend at 7-under par and totaled a 7-under 277 for a T10 finish at the Evans Scholars Invitational presented by First Midwest Bank.
- Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation: Opened with a 5-under 67 en route to a T9 at the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation. Marked his second consecutive top-10.
- Huntsville Championship: Lost on the third hole of a three-man playoff at the Huntsville Championship after holding a three-stroke lead during the final round. Played the final six holes of regulation in 2-over and finished with a 15-under 265 total.
2020 Season
- Evans Scholars Invitational: Carded back-to-back rounds of 64-66 on Friday and Saturday en route to a T7 finish at 13-under 275 at the Evans Scholars Invitational.
- El Bosque Mexico Championship by INNOVA: Spurred by a second-round 9-under 63 and a share of the 54-hole lead, earned a T4 at the El Bosque Mexico Championship by INNOVA finishing the week at 11-under 277.
- Country Club de Bogota Championship: Holed a 20-foot eagle putt on the 72nd hole to earn a two-stroke victory at the Country Club de Bogota Championship. Erased a four-stroke deficit on Sunday posting a final-round, 7-under 64.
- Panama Championship: Spurred by a third-round 5-under 65, earned a T3 finish at the Panama Championship at 8-under 272.
2019 Season
He didn’t win in his 16-tournament campaign but was remarkably consistent, with six top-10s—five of them coming consecutively. Concluded the year 10th on the Order of Merit.
- Bupa Match Play: Went 1-1 in his two matches in the Tour’s only match-play tournament.
- 60 Abierto Mexicano de Golf: Kept his streak of top-10 finishes alive, making his fifth in a row and sixth in seven starts. Finished T9 in Tijuana, with six others.
- BMW Jamaica Classic: Was in solid position to make a Sunday run but could only muster an even-par 72—with three birdies and three bogeys. Settled for a fifth-place finish.
- Puerto Plata Open: Picked up his third consecutive top-10 and fourth in five starts with his T5 in the Dominican Republic. Opened with a 67 and closed with a 66 at Playa Dorada GC to tie with four others.
- 88 Abierto OSDE del Centro presentado por FiberCorp-Telecom: Bounced back from an opening, 1-over 72 to finish at 6-under and T7 with five others in Cordoba.
- Abierto de Chile 2019 presentado por VOLVO: After opening with a 1-under 70, shot scores of 66-67-68 in his national open to T5 with Augusto Nunez and Matt Ryan.
- Buenaventura Classic: Opened with three consecutive 69s at Buenaventura GC and put early pressure on 54-hole leader, drawing to within one stroke early in the final round. Eventually fired a 1-over 73 to finish five shots behind Wolfe for a T2 with Mitchell Meissner and Ryan Ruffels.
2018 Season
- Club Colombia Championship: Eagled the 72nd hole at the Club Colombia Championship to finish T8, marking his first top-10 finish of the 2018 season.
2017 Season
Made two cuts on his first five starts of the Korn Ferry Tour season. Finished the Regular Season at No. 64 on the money list. Recorded four top-25 finishes in 23 starts. Finished the Korn Ferry Tour Finals at No. 106.
- Nashville Golf Open Benefitting the Snedeker Foundation: T3 at the Nashville Golf Open Benefitting the Snedeker Foundation.
- Panama Claro Championship: T46 at the Panama Claro Championship as his best.
2016 Season
Playing his first full season as a pro he went on to finish the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica season ranked No. 3 on the Order of Merit with a record of one victory, two runner-up finishes and four other top-10s in 18 starts. During the second half of the season, he put together five top-4 finishes in a span of six starts that included a victory at the Roberto De Vicenzo Punta del Este Open Copa NEC in Uruguay. He managed to reach the top-spot of the Order of Merit for one week halfway thru October to become the youngest player ever ranked No. 1 on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.
- Roberto De Vicenzo Punta del Este Open Copa NEC: Holding the outright lead after the second round, he secured a five-shot win with a bogey-free 7-under 63 on the final round to finish his week at Club del Lago Golf at 16-under 264. In addition to becoming the first player from Chile to win on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, at the age of 21 years, 6 months, 16 days, Pereira also became the second youngest champion in Tour history.
- 69 Avianca Colombia Open presentado por BBVA: Was the only player to card four rounds in the 60s at the season opening Avianca Colombia Open, an event he finished five-shots behind Justin Hueber to claim runner-up honors in February.
- PTLA Qualifying Tournament-Argentina: Earned his Tour card by finishing T10 at the Buenos Aires, Argentina Q-School.
- Abierto de Cachagua: Shot 12-under 204 for a four-shot win at the Chilean Tour's Abierto de Cachagua in January.
2015 Season
- Mundo Maya Open presentado por Heineken: Made the cut in all five of his PGA TOUR Latinoamérica starts, where he collected another top-10 at the Mundo Maya Open (T9) to finish 69th on the Order of Merit.
- Hyundai-BBVA 89 Abierto de Chile: Playing on a sponsor exemption, only two weeks after turning pro, he finished T4 at the Hyundai-BBVA 89th Abierto de Chile on his first career start on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica. Got in contention after carding a third round of 9-under 63.
- Abierto Club de Polo: Shot 9-under 207 for a four-shot win at the Abierto Club de Polo on the Chilean Tour in December.
- Abierto de Marina Golf Rapel: Shot 70-65 (-9) in his first start as a professional to win the Abierto de Marina Golf Rapel, a Chilean Tour 36-hole event in September.
Amateur Highlights
- Played one year of college golf at Texas Tech (2014-15 season), before deciding to turn pro.
- His highest rank as an amateur was No. 5 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking in August of 2015.
- Won the Chilean Professional Tour's Abierto Internacional de Las Brisas de Chicureo at the age of 17 in 2013. Shot 70-70-70 to win by one over professionals Nico Geyger and Cristián León.
- Runner-up at the 2010 Junior Open at Lundin Golf Club in Fife, Scotland.
- Won the Boys 12-13 division at the 2008 Optimist International Junior Golf Championships.
- Runner-up at the Boys 10-11 division at the 2006 Optimist International Junior Golf Championships.