During his speech at the PGA Championship’s champions’ banquet last May, Justin Thomas took a scathing jab at Mito Pereira, a top player for LIV Golf. The incident was captured on Netflix’s Full Swing cameras.
After taking home his second major championship from Oak Hill one year prior, Thomas was the event’s host in 2023. Pereira, who had a one-shot lead while standing on the Southern Hills 18th tee before double bogeying the 72nd hole of the week, lost to him in the process.
In a two-man playoff, Thomas and Will Zalatoris faced off, with the former emerging victorious to win the PGA title for the second time.
Naturally, he returned to the tournament the next year as the defending champion, and he had the honor of entertaining notable players at the pre-tournament dinner, including Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, and Rory McIlroy. In a speech included in the first episode of the second season of Full Swing, Thomas addressed his fellow champions and stated, “I am very excited to be hosting this.”
The PGA Tour and LIV Golf combined brought Rory McIlroy an F-bomb, as shown in a documentary camera clip.
“It’s a great night, and I know we can all remember stories from the past.” Thomas said, raising a glass and throwing a playful jab at his LIV opponent: “I personally want to have a cheers to Mito Pereira because this would not happen without him.”
The entire audience, including Koepka and Mickelson, who are also members of LIV, laughed at the prank. That week, Koepka would add another major victory to his record as he defeated Viktor Hovland by two strokes to win the PGA Championship for the third time.
For McIlroy, the other champion who makes frequent appearances in episodes one and two of the second season, it was a difficult victory. With his victory at Oak Hill, Koepka overtook the Northern Irishman in major standings. Since winning the PGA Championship in 2014, the Northern Irishman has not triumphed on the biggest stage.
It was impossible for Justin Thomas to avoid making fun of Mito Pereira.
“F***, someone in my era has more majors than I have,” McIlroy said to the Netflix cameras, making a hint that Koepka might surpass him. I find it difficult to not consider myself to be among the world’s greatest golfers, and when that is the case, you start to feel a little confused.”
In the behind-the-scenes segment, McIlroy was also seen expressing his annoyance in the Oak Hill locker room on his severe drought. He asserted, “My technique is nowhere near as good as it used to be.”
I’m on the verge of wanting to completely reset. I feel like I’m only going to succeed if I do that. It seems so far away. I don’t feel like I can handle these two-week bootcamps right now in my life. I think I’m good enough to be in my mind’s f****** top 10, but it’s not a good win like winning f****** majors.
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