US PGA Championship: Justin Thomas beats Will Zalatoris in a play-off

American Justin Thomas staged a record-equalling fightback before beating Will Zalatoris in a play-off to win the US PGA Championship at Southern Hills.

At the start of the day, Thomas was seven strokes behind, but he responded with a three-under 67 to get to five under.

After hitting his tee shot into a creek on the 18th, Mito Pereira double-bogeyed to finish at four under.

Fitzpatrick and Fleetwood ended three under.

After leading the tournament after the opening day, Northern Ireland'sRory McIlroy closed with a 68 to finish eighth at two under par in Oklahoma.

Thomas was one over after six holes on Sunday but had four birdies in his final 10 holes to fire his way to the top of the leaderboard, with Zalatoris hanging on to also finish at five under par.

The world number nine made a crucial putt on the 17th to win his second major after also winning this event last year.

Pereira's dreams fall apart

On the 17th green and 18th tee were the nerve-shredding moments that will define his early career.

The world number one had a chance to take a two-shot lead going down the last, but a missed putt and his drive into the water cost him the title.

As his ball settled in the creek, Zalatoris rolled in a par putt to match Thomas on five under, while the former champion immediately headed to the driving range in preparation for a play-off.

He only made the switch from the PGA Tour's feeder tour last summer with his best finish of 2022, but he started the day with a three-stroke lead over Fitzpatrick on just his second major.

Zalatoris, a relative newcomer who has five top 10s in eight major starts, bogeyed the tricky par-three hole after wiping out his previous blemish.

A 15-minute discussion with a rules official over where to drop his ball was held after he made a superb up-and-down from the cart path.

The leaders had a hard time keeping their noses in front despite the fact that Young briefly joined the lead and Thomas had a bogey-free back nine.

After a double-bogey six on the 18th saw him miss out on the play-off, Zalatoris and Thomas battled it out over three holes.

Thomas two-putted for a bogey on the 17th, but Zalatoris could not match his par on the 18th to allow Thomas to win his second Wanamaker Trophy.

Fitzpatrick fails to make up ground

Fitzpatrick was hoping to become the first Englishman to win the championship since Jim Barnes in 1919.

He played himself out of the picture when he bogeyed the first and then made a bogey at the fourth, but still managed to make the cut.

With those ahead of him toiling, Fitzpatrick greeted a bogey on the 15th with a huge fist pump, knowing he was once again two strokes off the lead, only for a bogey at 17 to kill off his chances as the Yorkshireman signed for a three-over 73 that took him

They left Southern Hills in very different moods, with both of them happy after five birdies in their final seven holes.

The damage was done with a one-over 71 on Friday, followed by a 74 on Saturday, as the four-time major champion was done with a one-stroke lead after the first round.

It looked like he might be getting back in contention when he began his round with four successive birdies from the second, but he bogeyed the sixth after double-bogeying the hole the previous day.

In a final-day 67 that also included four straight bogeys through the turn and a surprise share of fifth, the Englishman made seven birdies and two bogeys.