Victor Perez put on an incredible display to defeat Ryan Fox in the shoot-off and claim his second European Tour title at the Dutch Open.
The Frenchman was the author of four exceptional putts to win the KLM Dutch Open at the expense of the New Zealander.
Perez (-13 in total) first knew how to find the resources to come back from behind this Sunday and get involved in the final fight.
Launched on the last lap on the Bernardus Golf Club course, the Tarbais were three strokes behind the leader in the 17th and penultimate lap.
Just under the hole
The golfer from Tarbes then came back up to Ryan Fox, alone in the lead at the club house, thanks to a good 10-meter birdie putt on the 17th before narrowly failing to win on the 72nd hole of the Dutch Open.
His not strong enough birdie attempt went just under the hole... however allowing him to return a card of 69, synonymous with play off.
Very lively on the greens, Victor Perez first stayed alive on the third hole of this barrage against Ryan Fox, 90th in the world, thanks to a putt of more than six meters.
Impressive concentration, the French managed to win the victory with a 12-meter putt on the next hole!
"
I just tried to focus on myself all day, that's all I can do is try to keep a championship mindset and hit good shot after good shot
," he said. - he explained when he left the course.
Adding: “
There was some good fortune, I have to be honest with myself, hitting those long putts in the play-offs.
»
2nd career win
The 29-year-old Victor Perez signs his second career victory on the European Tour two and a half years after his success at the Alfred Dunhill Links 2019. He had finished second in three Rolex Series events and finished in the top five of two golf world championships.
“I was lucky to fall on the right side today.
»
Victor Perez
"The chips were going to fall where they were going to fall,
concluded Perez, all smiles and a bit fatalistic,
it's almost impossible to predict what will happen in golf: guys come out of nowhere and win tournaments and guys make huge advances.
You just have to focus on yourself and not look at the board and I was lucky to fall on the right side today.
Read alsoVictor Perez at Le Figaro: “In Mexico City, I shot myself in the foot…”
This victory allows him to re-enter the European Top 25 by jumping from 98th to 24th place in the DP World Tour ranking.
Perez is also taking the opportunity to qualify for the 150th British Open which will take place from July 14 to 17 in Saint-Andrews, Scotland, a place he knows well since he himself is established in Dundee, a little further north of the country.
Like Perez, his unfortunate opponent in the playoff, the New Zealander Ryan Fox, and the Pole Adrian Meronk (-12) pockets a ticket for The Open Championship.
Read alsoGolf: from Tarbes to San Francisco, in the footsteps of French number 1 Victor Perez
The other Frenchmen competing at Bernardus Golf had mixed fortunes, Antoine Rozner finished in 21st place in the standings (-4 in total) with a card in par during his last round.
Frédéric Lacroix (-3) is in 24th place ahead of Romain Langasque (31st, -2), author of a good 68 this Sunday which allowed him to move up twenty places.
Further on, Raphaël Jacquelin finished 43rd (in total par) while Joël Stalter was 56th (+3).
1.
Victor Perez (France) -
13 (67-70-69-69)
2. R. Fox (New Zealand) -13 (70-67-70-68)
3. A. Meronk (Poland) -12 (68-68-72-68)
4 Mr. Schneider (Germany) -11 (67-71-71-68) ... etc
Read also
The complete leaderboard of the KLM Dutch Open with Le Figaro Golf
