PEREZ IS PITCHING IN

Abu Dhabi champion Victor ready to go once again after famous win at Yas Links

Starting the year on tour with a win is always something every golfer strives for, but Victor Perez comes into the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on a higher-thanusual high due to his tremendous — and now viral — route to victory in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship last week.

Leading by one at Yas Links, the Frenchman found the bunker with his tee shot on the par-3 17th. With playing partner and nearest challenger Sebastian Soderberg lurking, Perez produced a moment of magic from the sand, landing his delicious pitch a few feet past the pin and the ball spun back into the cup.

Despite a wobble and a bogey on the 18th, his two-stroke cushion kept him safe and the $1.53 million first-place cheque was assured.

Now it is onto that tricky second tournament at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic as Perez looks to keep up the momentum on the DP World Tour Desert Swing.

“It feels fantastic to sit here, a week into the season for me and it couldn’t have been a better start,” he said.

“I was feeling pretty good with my game after [Ryder Cup warm-up matchplay event] the Hero

Cup, but to be able to back it up in a 72-hole tournament is a completely different story, and I was just really happy to carry on that form and eventually get the victory but the next event is equally as big as the one you played.

“So you want to try to replicate that the following week, which is never easy.”

When asked how many times he has watched that bunker shot on Yas Island, which has become an instant hit on social media, Perez smirked and admitted: “A lot. A lot. We were just talking about how this shot is going to end up being the defining moment of the performance. But it was just one shot. It just so happened to be at that time in the 72 holes. There were other good shots along the way, but any time someone is going talk about Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 2023, it will be: ‘Remember he holed that bunker shot.’ So yeah, I’ve seen it plenty of times now.”

It remains to be seen if Perez can repeat the trick in Dubai and make his start to 2023 all the more memorable.