PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 20, 2022

Mito Pereira

Southern Hills Country Club

Flash Quotes

JOHN DEVER: Welcome back to the 2022 PGA Championship here at Southern Hills Golf Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We're joined by Mito Pereira, who put forth the low round the championship today, second round 64; 8-under par at present. Mito, congratulations on just a terrific play all day long.

Seemed like looking at your card your putter had some magic to it. Was that the key for the low number today?

MITO PEREIRA: Yeah, I've been hitting the ball really well, so if I can just put one day of good putting, something like this comes up. So just really happy how I ended up playing today.

Q. What was your best shot that you hit today?

MITO PEREIRA: I think on 8. I didn't put it on the green but I was -- that was really, really good. High, as high as I can hit it, 5-iron, just a little cut. Landed three paces before the pin.

Had to be close to get a hole in one, but just that hole was playing really tough downwind. You couldn't stop it on the green. It was not close but it was a really good shot.

Q. Wanted to ask you about your mentality going into the weekend. You're in a good position. Aggressiveness stays the same going into Saturday and Sunday? Do you keep the same momentum?

MITO PEREIRA: Yeah, I mean, well, the conditions are going to change a little bit. The wind is going to change. Going to be a little bit colder. I think I'll just try to do the same I've been doing.

Been hitting the ball really well, so I think that's a really strength coming up to the weekend. Yeah, not to change anything.

Q. Obviously you played really well. Could you talk about the advantage of the early-late tee times this week and how much that helped you?

MITO PEREIRA: Yeah, I think it was lucky to get that draw. Sometimes you get the bad draw, being sometimes you get the good one. But today for sure the wind in the back nine, there was almost none.

It change a little bit, too, so help a little easier, played a little easier. Just lucky to have that draw.

Q. You took a two-year break from the game when you were a teenager. What would you have said if somebody said to you then one day you'll be contending in a major tournament?

MITO PEREIRA: That you're crazy. No, I mean, I took the two years off but when I came back I just -- I knew I could do it, I knew I could get to here, and I just kept the confidence, and obviously there were some up and downs but really happy to be here.

Q. When you first saw this golf course, did you think that many birdies would be possible in a round?

MITO PEREIRA: I played in college here on 2015 I think. They change it a little bit, but for sure it's a tough course, tough greens to read. They're really slopey.

You got to put it on the fairway because you can't judge the rough. So I guess shooting 6-under wasn't really the expectation, but here we are.

Q. What did your time here in college do for you?

MITO PEREIRA: Just went there for one year. It was a really good experience golf-wise. Golf program was really good. I think it help me a little bit with my game, mostly strategy and just have a team events.

But, I mean, more than that, just, I don't know what else to say about that.

Q. Going to be a lot of people here who I think are going to try to figure you out, get to know you a little bit. Who introduced to the game? How long have you been playing? Is it a club in my hands from the time I was a child, that kind of thing?

MITO PEREIRA: My dad used to play, just weekend golfer. I think just my mom took me one weekend to go watch him and I started probably around two, three years old, plastic clubs. I remember first tournament was at six; first international tournament at eight; kept going.

Q. So I remember seeing you in 2017 in Quail Hollow.

MITO PEREIRA: Yeah, I played that tournament.

Q. So it's been a journey since then.

MITO PEREIRA: Yeah, some big changes.

Q. Talk a little bit about that.

MITO PEREIRA: Yeah I remember that year was on the Korn Ferry. I think it was 2018 actually. Wasn't a very good year.

But since then I been building and going up. Got some experience of everything, good days, bad days, bad golf, really bad golf, good golf, but I think everything has helped me out to be here and to play like I'm playing now.

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