Pereira in pole position for maiden Major

Mito Pereira will take a three-shot lead into the final round of the 2022 US PGA Championship as he seeks a first Major title at Southern Hills Country Club.

The Chilean is playing in just his second Major Championship but looked like an experienced campaigner as he recovered from four bogeys in five holes around the turn to post a 69 and get to nine under.

Matt Fitzpatrick and Will Zalatoris are also seeking their first Major wins and will head into the final round as the nearest challengers after rounds of 67 and 73 respectively.

Englishman Fitzpatrick has seven DP World Tour wins including a Rolex Series title and gave a rare show of emotion as he fist-pumped following a birdie-birdie finish in Tulsa.

Like Pereira, Zalatoris has yet to win on the DP World Tour or PGA TOUR but has four top tens in seven Major appearances, including a second-placed finish at the 2021 Masters Tournament.

American Cameron Young was at five under, one clear of Mexico's Abraham Ancer and two ahead of Irishman Seamus Power.

But the headlines belonged to Pereira, who is no stranger to the winner's circle after winning four times on his home Tour, once on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica and three times on the Korn Ferry Tour, an achievement which handed him his PGA TOUR card.

"It's by far the biggest tournament I've played, the biggest round of golf, and tomorrow is going to be even bigger," he said. "I'll just try to keep it simple, try to do the same things that I've been doing, try to not even look at the people that's around me.

"If you play really good golf during the week, you're going to win. Doesn't matter if it's your first time or your 10th time, if you play really, really well, you're going to have chances."

Overnight leader Zalatoris failed to get up and down from the sand on the first and a birdie from 36 feet on the second handed Pereira the solo lead.

Zalatoris then missed a short one on the fourth and when Pereira left himself ten feet for birdie on the par-five fifth, the lead was up to three.

I'll just try to keep it simple, try to do the same things that I've been doing, try to not even look at the people that's around me

Further dropped shots from Zalatoris on the sixth and seventh put Periera four ahead but a major wobble around the turn opened the door to the field again.

Pereira three-putted the eighth, ended up short of the green at the ninth and failed to get up and down from the sand on the tenth before flying the green at the 12th for four bogeys in five holes.

Zalatoris rejoined the lead with a 35-footer on the 13th but Pereira followed him in from around half that distance and then put his tee-shot to six feet at the next to lead by two again.

The lead was three as Zalatoris had to battle down the 16th but it was soon cut to two by the fast-finishing Fitzpatrick.

The two-time Ryder Cup star started bogey-bogey but holed a bunker shot on the fifth and holed from 18 feet on the next to get back level on the day.

Another bogey followed but Fitzpatrick put his approach to four feet on the ninth and then really came to life on the way home.

He made a two-putt birdie on the par-five 13th before getting up and down from the sand at the driveable 17th and then making a smart 15-footer on the last to play his way into the final group on Sunday.

Zalatoris went for the green on the penultimate hole and while he missed the putting surface, he manged to claim his birdie and join Fitzpatrick at six under.

But Pereira produced a big finish, holing from 27 feet on the last to put himself in a strong position heading into the final day.

An eagle after driving the 17th was the highlight of Young's 67, while Power birdied four of his last seven holes to register the same score and Ancer signed for a 70.

Major-winning Americans Stewart Cink, Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson were at two under.