Chilean Golfer Mito Pereira Ends Career After Close Call at 2022 PGA Championship

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Mito Pereira, a 30-year-old golfer from Chile, has announced his retirement from professional golf, citing a desire to prioritize his personal life and return to his homeland. Pereira, who was one hole away from winning a major at the 2022 PGA Championship, has earned over $11.5 million in his three-year stint in the Saudi-funded LIV Golf League, but was relegated out of the league this year due to a 51st-place finish. Pereira, who played a year at Texas Tech, rose to fame after a near-miss at the 2022 PGA Championship, where he took a three-shot lead into the final round and was one shot ahead going into the 18th hole. However, he made a double bogey, finishing one shot behind Justin Thomas in a playoff. This marked the first time since Phil Mickelson's 2006 U.S. Open that a player took a one-shot lead into the final hole of a major and made a double bogey to lose. Pereira has had an impressive career, including a pair of top-3 finishes in his first year with LIV Golf and a No. 8 finish in the league standings. However, his performance declined in subsequent years, with his best finish in 2025 being a tie for 13th. In a heartfelt post on Instagram, Pereira expressed his gratitude for the lessons golf has taught him, including resilience, discipline, and goal-setting. He plans to return to Chile and focus on his personal life, citing the importance of being with his family and having a sense of belonging in his homeland.