The Chilean quit the PGA for a few days and sailed to Asia to play in an event that is handing out one and a half million dollars in prize money. With a round of six under par, he is tied for the top with local Taihei Sato.
Mito Pereira changed the prestigious North American PGA courses for a few days. The Chilean chose to accept the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament invitation and cross the ocean to arrive in Miyazaki to play the prestigious Japan Golf Tour event. A decision that seems fair, since after the first round, he shares the lead with a six-under-par card.
A day where he participated in a group composed of Rikuya Hoshino and Jinichiro Kozuma and where signed seven birdies and only one bogey . The Chilean first managed put-ins on holes two, four, seven and nine. Then he went through a large section (from hole 13 to 15) where he exceeded the requirements of the course in three consecutive flags.
This way, Mito leads the tournament tied with local player Taihei Sato with 65-move cards. The two are currently the favorites to take home the $284,000 awarded to the event champion. Of course, there are still three days of golf and The first of them will take place this Thursday at 11:30 p.m. in Chile.
In terms of players and money, the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament is one of the most prestigious tournaments on the continent, handing out a prize pool of nearly $1.5 million to distribute.
That’s why Pereira isn’t the only face of the PGA who traveled to Japan to play an event that hands out points for the world rankings anyway. With him they also arrived in Asia, the Canadian Corey Conners (-4), South Korean Tom Kim (-3) and American Aaron Wise (-3).
Japan, an old acquaintance
For Mito Pereira, Japan is not just another country. He had one of his finest weeks as a professional golfer there last year.
This is the Tokyo Olympics, where he defended the colors of Chile and was one step away from winning the bronze medal. It was in a dramatic playoff, where a tie while on the putt left him in fourth place. Xander Schauffele ended up winning gold on this occasion.
This year he also traveled to Japan, where in mid-October he played in the ZOZO Championship, the only PGA Tour tournament currently held in Asia.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
