LIV Golf’s Mito Pereira, Who Brutally Lost 2022 PGA Championship, Retires

The 30-year-old Chilean, who had played for LIV Golf since 2023 but was relegated from the league, announced his retirement on social media.

Mito Pereira is retiring from pro golf at age 30. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Mito Pereira is calling it quits. 

The 30-year-old Chilean, who had played for LIV Golf since 2023 but was relegated from the league after finishing 51st in the season-long standings, announced his retirement on social media. 

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“After many years connected to this beautiful sport, priorities naturally evolve,” Pereira said in an Instagram post. “Today, my main desire is to step away from constant travel, return to Chile, and focus on my personal life.”

According to the Associated Press, Pereira broke his collarbone a few weeks ago in a bicycle accident.   

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Pereira played collegiate golf at Texas Tech and was on the PGA Tour from 2021 to 2022 after earning a three-win promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour. 

Perhaps Pereira is best known for fumbling the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills. He went to the 72nd hole with a one-stroke lead, but hit his tee shot into a creek and made a double bogey, finishing one stroke short of a playoff between Justin Thomas and Will Zalatoris. 

“I spent many years living away from home, in another country, countless weeks in hotels and airports,” he said. “Now, the time has come to pause. Chile is my place in the world, and my family is my reason for being. Golf taught me resilience, how to navigate both good and difficult moments, and how to make discipline and goals a way of life. I believe I am well prepared for what lies ahead.”

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