Victor Perez posted a final-round 66 in Abu Dhabi to become the first French winner of a Rolex Series event and put him inside the projected Ryder Cup qualification standings; Min Woo Lee and Sebastian Soderberg share second as Padraig Harrington takes fourth spot
Sunday 22 January 2023 13:52, UK
Victor Perez secured the biggest win of his career and boosted his Ryder Cup qualification hopes after surviving a late scare to claim a dramatic Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship victory.
Perez posted a six-under 66 during a thrilling final round at Yas Links Abu Dhabi, where a host of players were in contention, to claim a third DP World Tour victory and become the first French winner of a Rolex Series event.
The world No 111 produced a remarkable bunker hole-out at the par-three 17th to take a two-shot lead into the final hole, where a bogey was enough to end the week on 18 under and claim a one-shot victory.
Playing partner Sebastian Soderberg ended tied-second alongside Min Woo Lee, who almost found the final-hole eagle required to force a play-off, while Padraig Harrington's bid to become the oldest winner in DP World Tour history ended with a fourth-place finish.
Perez went into the final round a shot off the lead but quickly joined the group tied at the top when he followed an opening-hole birdie by two-putting from 25 feet to pick up another at the par-five next, with the Frenchman then adding successive birdies from the sixth to briefly go two clear.
The 30-year-old birdied the 10th and fired an incredible approach to tap-in range at the par-five next to temporarily restore a two-shot cushion, although he that advantage halved when Lee followed three straight gains from the fifth with back-to-back birdies from the 11th to get within one.
Perez responded to losing his outright lead with a three-putt bogey by birdieing his next hole, then seemingly took control of the tournament when he saw his bunker pitch on the penultimate hole pitch five feet past the hole and spin back into the cut.
The tournament was potentially blown open at the last when Perez found sand off the tee and then narrowly avoided going out of bounds with a wayward second, although was able to pitch out and scramble a bogey to set the clubhouse target at 18 under.
Soderberg could only par the last to close a five-under 67 and finish a shot off the pace, while Lee - who bogeyed the par-three 17th - almost holed his must-make eagle attempt from the rough and then saw the ball narrowly miss the hole again when it trickled down the slope.
Lee's closing birdie left him on 17 under, while Harrington enjoyed a final-round charge with five birdies in a seven-hole stretch and signed off an impressive display with a final-round 67.
Overnight co-leader Francesco Molinari claimed a share of fifth with Alex Noren, while Tyrrell Hatton fired a hole-in-one at the par-three 13th on his way to a closing 65 and a share of seventh.
Sami Valimaki set a new course record with a 10-under 62, parachuting the Finn inside the top-10, while Shane Lowry dropped six shots in a four-hole stretch - including putting two balls in the water and triple-bogeying the par-four 15th - to slump to a four-over 76 and tied-28th.
Perez's victory follows his breakthrough success at the 2019 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and last year's play-off win at the Dutch Open, with the latest title making him the early leader of the DP World Tour rankings and has him inside the projected Ryder Cup qualification standings.
"It's a great year ahead," an emotional Perez said. "There's a lot of big things coming up. I've had a really good off-season, I've worked really hard, and it's just great."
"I got off to a good start and I was just focusing on me and trying to do the best I can, because you can't control what anyone else is doing. I was trying to plod along, but Seb [Sebastian Soderberg] was fantastic, he never gave me an opening.
"I'm just delighted to finish on top. It was a crazy finish but I'm used to that by now. Hopefully I can make it a little easier for the next one. It [bunker shot on 17th] came up a little skinny, I'm not going to lie, and then spun back and the just the fortune of the ball going in. It's probably the greatest shot I've ever hit."
The DP World Tour season stays in the Middle East for the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, where Rory McIlroy features for the first time in 2023. Watch live on Thursday from 4am on Sky Sports Golf.
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