DP World Tour: Victor Perez overcame a late scare to win the thrilling Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, giving him the biggest win of his career and raising his chances of for the Ryder Cup.
Perez shot a final-round six-under 66 at Yas Links Abu Dhabi, where several players were in contention, to win his third DP World Tour title and became the first Frenchman to win a Rolex Series competition.
A stunning bunker hole-out by the world No. 111 at the par-three 17th gave him a two-shot lead going into the last hole. A bogey there allowed him to finish the week on 18 under and win by one shot.
Sebastian Soderberg, who was playing partner, finished in a tie for second place with Min Woo Lee, who came close to making an eagle on the last hole to force a playoff. Padraig Harrington’s attempt to become the oldest victor in DP World Tour history fell short with a fourth-place finish.
How Perez won the suspenseful Abu Dhabi game?
Perez entered the final round one shot off the lead, but he rapidly caught up to the group tied for first after making consecutive birdies from the sixth to temporarily move two up after making another two-putt from 25 feet after his first hole’s birdie.
The 30-year-old temporarily restored a two-shot lead after birdying the 10th hole and then hit an incredible approach shot to the next par-5 hole that was within tap-in range. However, his advantage was cut in half when Lee closed the gap to one shot after making back-to-back birdies on the 11th and fifth holes.
Following a three-putt bogey that cost him the outright lead, Perez recovered by birdying the following hole. He then appeared to seize control of the competition when his bunker pitch on the penultimate hole flew five feet past the hole and spun back into the cut.
When Perez encountered sand off the tee and then narrowly escaped going out of bounds with an errant second shot, the tournament was potentially blown wide open. Fortunately, Perez was able to pitch out and scramble a bogey to set the clubhouse target at 18 under.
While Lee, who bogeyed the par-three 17th, nearly made his must-make eagle effort from the rough and then saw the ball narrowly missed the hole again when it trickled down the slope, Soderberg could only par the last to cap up a five-under 67 and finish a shot off the lead.
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