Who needs the world’s best? Pre-tournament chatter here at the Abu Dhabi Championship surrounded the appearance of just one player from inside the Top 20 of golf’s ranking system. A prize fund of $9m was not a sufficient draw for golfers who can now compete for double that purse as routine.
What the tournament lacked in star quality it more than made up for with late drama. In the space of 15 mad minutes the Frenchman Victor Perez looked to have sealed victory before flirting with a horrible capitulation. In the end, he saw off the challenge of Sebastian Söderberg after the Swede wasted a great opportunity to win with just a short iron in his hand at the 72nd hole.
At the par three 17th, Perez had produced the kind of moment that will prove tough to beat in the remainder of this DP World Tour year. His one-stroke lead was in peril after finding a bunker short of the green but he then floated the ball beautifully onto a slope behind the flag, from where it rolled back and into the cup. Wild celebration from Perez not unreasonably implied that he thought victory was his.
“That was probably the greatest shot I’ve ever hit,” Perez said later. The element of doubt raised eyebrows. His was a flick Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and other Abu Dhabi absentees would have been proud of.
The golfing gods decided to meddle with Perez’s sense of imminent glory. Perez was in sand again from the tee at the last. That scenario needn’t have been particularly troublesome but his lie was horrible. Perez flirted with water when gouging from the bunker, with his ball rather fortunately coming to rest above ground but on a steep slope inside the hazard. A bogey was the best Perez could muster, meaning Söderberg – playing in his company – would have forced a playoff at 18 under par with a birdie. Söderberg’s approach under intense pressure failed to find the green; a par five left him one shy.
There was more to come. An eagle for Min Woo Lee at the 18th would have tied Perez. The Australian came agonisingly close to forcing extra holes, with a gloriously judged chip which rolled, rolled and rolled to within centimetres of the cup. Lee will rue bogeys at the last on both Thursday and Friday.
Perez’s selection for last week’s Hero Cup, a Ryder Cup precursor, meant he was part of the European team management’s thoughts even before this, the biggest win of his career and third on the DP World Tour. It is very early days – Europe and the US will not face off in Rome until September – but for now Perez sits comfortably inside the automatic qualification places. A debut in the biennial clash is again in his sights.
“I was in a similar position to this two and a half years ago, before the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits,” Perez said. “Hopefully that is something I can draw a little bit of experience from.”
Perez had set the tone on day four, having blasted his way to six birdies within 11 holes. He was reduced to tears during media duties after completing a 66. “It feels fantastic,” the 30-year-old said. “I thought you always need a bit of fortune. There’s always the deciding shots coming down the stretch that can make or break.”
The shot of his life!@v_perez2 leads by two with one to play.#ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/D9NGAuyBLv
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 22, 2023
The 51-year-old Pádraig Harrington was denied in his bid to become the oldest winner in DP World Tour history, but not by much. Harrington displayed typical tenacity in posting a 67 which left him fourth at 16 under. Harrington played his inward half in 32, proving he was a legitimate threat to Perez.
Alex Noren and Francesco Molinari shared fifth at 14 under. Shane Lowry had been the favourite in the eyes of most onlookers before a fourth round ball was struck. The Irishman played his front nine in level par but remained in touch courtesy of birdies at the 12th and 13th. Disaster followed. Lowry dropped shots on 14 and 15 before slipping to a triple bogey seven at the 16th. Lowry found water from the tee before totally miscuing his third shot, back into the creek. Game over. Lowry’s 76 left him in a tie for 28th.
Tyrrell Hatton’s 65 included a hole-in-one at the 13th. Luke Donald, so prominent earlier in this competition, signed off with a 72 for a share of 38th at seven under. The Ryder Cup captain was a certainty to be looking on as Perez staggered through the tape.
