How are the Americans going to nickname Victor Perez from now on?
Fond of often easy shortcuts when it comes to identifying a newcomer to the PGA tour, Billy Horschel's compatriots are sure to stick a label on the Frenchman after his great week at the Match Play World Championship.
In 2014, Victor Dubuisson lost the final to Australian Jason Day at Hole 23, on the Dove Mountain course.
From this memorable episode, he had kept the nicknames of Victor "Dubush" and "Cactus Kid", following his magic shots made in the setting of western Arizona.
Beaten (3 & 2) this Sunday in the semifinals by the American Billy Horschel (34th in the world), Victor Perez however marked the spirits by being the only European to invite himself in the last, against three Americans.
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“It was crazy to see Victor (Dubuisson) in the final, remembered Victor Perez (28) at a press conference on Saturday.
It's a shame he didn't manage to win because the story would have been amazing.
He showed the French that it was possible, climbing to the top 15. Then he played the Ryder Cup.
What he did in the Match-Play World Championship showed us the way.
"
Solid and applied at the start, Victor Perez took the leadership (1 up) of his semi-final at hole n + 6, on an amateur failure by Billy Horschel.
The American's second shot became a huge wedge scratch that sent the ball rolling into the rough and spectators' feet, with an un-followable stroke towards the green.
Complicated wind conditions
Since the start of the week, the Frenchman had noticed that the layout of the Austin Country Club course is getting thicker from hole n ° 9.
In complicated wind conditions, with gusts of almost 40 km / h, Victor Perez had to deal with an additional difficulty.
He who trains in Dundee, on the east coast of Scotland battered by sea winds, suffered in the hot breath of Texas.
And Billy Horschel returned to the front at hole n ° 10 on a first bogey from the Frenchman, then widened the gap (2 up) on the par 3 of 11, taking advantage of a completely failed throw-in from Victor Perez whose ball finished in a small waterfall.
New bogey.
On hole 14, despite an approach glued to the hospitality tent on the edge of the green, Perez stopped the bleeding by signing a welcome par, which allowed him to share.
At the exit of hole 15, won with a birdie on an approach to the flag, Victor Perez was "2 down" with three holes to play.
Complicated, but not finished.
A hope of short duration since Horschel did not miss the opportunity to conclude the match on the green of the 16, by returning a last putt of one meter fifty.
Brio
If the dream has passed - that of seeing Perez do better than Dubuisson this year - we will long remember the brilliance displayed by the Tarbais during his first participation in a World Match Play championship.
Impressive mastery and very lucid in his strategic choices during his victories against the Australian Marc Leishman (2 & 1) and the South Korean Sungjae Im (2 & 1) then the Scottish Robert MacIntyre (4 & 3), the French gave a glimpse of great promises for his future on the PGA Tour.
This, even if his two defeats were recorded against the Americans Russell Henley (4 & 3) then Billy Horschel (3 & 2).
Uncomplicated, Victor Perez, who will become a temporary member of the American circuit and will thus have a playing right extended by numerous invitations, continues his progression towards the World Top 15.
Victor Perez will face in a consolation match (in the evening, French time) the Americans Matt Kuchar, beaten by Scottie Scheffler in the other semi-final.
For the anecdote, if the winner of this WGC-Match Play will pocket the endowment of $ 1.8 million against $ 1.35 million for the finalist, the player who wins the small final will console himself with $ 850,000 against 650,000. $ at the 4th of the tournament.