2022 Charles Schwab Challenge: Top 10 power rankings at Colonial
Mito Pereira is making his Charles Schwab Challenge debut. Perhaps diving into a new course in Colonial Country Club is just what he needs to take his mind off of last week’s misfortune.
The 27-year-old Chilean showed some serious mettle by contending in last week’s PGA Championship. That was also his tournament debut and just the second major start of his career.
He never finished better than third his first 10 months on the PGA Tour.
Yet, Pereira stood on the 72nd tee at Southern Hills with a one-shot lead.
A questionable decision to pull driver and rely on a low stinger that worked the day before sunk his chances, literally, with a water ball off the tee.
He couldn’t even recover for bogey to go into a playoff. Pereira signed for a 74, leaving him one shot back of Will Zalatoris and eventual champion Justin Thomas.
To his credit, Pereira faced the music by doing an interview right away on TV (in his second language), as well as with the media in a press conference. That maturity shows why he nearly pulled off one of the more unlikely major wins in recent years. It’s why many think he’ll be in a similar position again.
What’s also impressive is that less than a month earlier, a back injury forced him and Joaquin Niemann to withdraw mid-tournament at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
It’s a good thing Pereira opted not to push it. He rested up for a couple weeks before teeing it up in a tune-up event last week at the AT&T Byron Nelson. Three rounds in the 60s netted the Texas Tech alum a T-17th finish.
A nice showing, but who could have predicted what happened next?
Despite the disappointing result, Pereira can take solace in joining Thomas as one of just two players to record three rounds in the 60s at Southern Hills. Pereira ranked third in the field for the week in strokes gained putting (5.482) and seventh in SG approach.
For the season, the rookie is 10th on the PGA Tour in SG approach (.73) and is gaining strokes in every category. Attacking Colonial’s small greens is something he ought to be able to do, coming in at fourth in GIR (71.11%).
Pereira has finished top-30 in five straight events and in seven out of eight.
If his psyche is somewhat intact, there’s no reason why he can’t put together another good week. Sometimes you have to walk before you can run. Winning the Charles Schwab Challenge could be the stepping stone Pereira needs before winning one of the big four.
He’ll certainly have the galleries on his side.