Author of a magnificent 67 (-5) at the opening of the DP World Tour Championship, the Frenchman alone offers himself the controls of the last meeting of the 2020 season. Patrick Reed, the current leader of this same Race, is ninth at -2 (70).
In major European Tour events, especially those stamped Rolex Series, Victor Perez is rarely absent from subscribers. Second in Abu Dhabi at the start of the year after being beaten in the playoff in November 2019 in Turkey, again second last October at Wentworth (England) at the BMW PGA Championship, the Tarbais (37th world) is once again at the forefront. Alone in front. Author of a magnificent 67 (-5) with six birdies for a single conceded bogey, he throne leading the DP World Tour Championship, final meeting of a 2020 season greatly affected by the pandemic linked to Covid-19.
Trace
Summoned this Thursday on tee n ° 1 of the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in the prelude to the last part with the South African Christiaan Bezuidendout, double winner in the last two weeks on the European Tour, Victor Perez quickly took the measure of the course, snapping a first birdie on the par 5 of 2. Rather on a good day with putter in hand, he could not however avoid a bogey – the only one of his day – on the par 3 of the 4.
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Fortunately, the sequel will only be a succession of controlled face-offs and skillfully distilled iron shots, enough in any case to line up four other birdies between holes 7 and 14, joining at -4 the head of the tournament, already occupied. by three other players. But a new right-left putt far from being made on the spectacular par 3 of 17 gave him, this time alone, the lead at -5. At the end of this super solid start, he left the Scotsman Robert MacIntyre, the Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick and the South African Erik Van Rooyen a length behind. Big favorite for the final victory, the American Patrick Reed, current leader of the Race, is ninth on the leaderboard at -2 (70), without having made the slightest mistake.
“There are a lot of positives to remember from such a day,” explains the leader at the microphone of our colleagues from Golf+. It’s a day that obviously gives a lot of confidence. In these small field tournaments with four rounds without a cut, gaps can be created and a good start can be important. It can make a difference and eliminate players from the towers. So far, the job has been done… ”
Projections
In the lead after eighteen holes, the winner of the Dunhill Links Championship 2019 is, in the game of projections, virtually winner of the Race ahead of Patrick Reed and the Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, currently first and second in points of this same Race. But there are still 54 holes to negotiate. The road is therefore still very long until Sunday on the Dubai side. The three other Frenchmen entered in this final are further on the leaderboard. Matthieu Pavon, who replaced Romain Langasque’s Tuesday night package, tested positive for Covid-19, starts with a 74 (+2) and ranks 43rd. He is one point ahead of his compatriots Benjamin Hébert and Antoine Rozner, 50th at +3 (75).
The French having played the final of the Race since its establishment in 2009 :
2009: Thomas Levet (23rd), Grégory Bourdy and Raphaël Jacquelin (30th). 58 players entered.
2010: Raphaël Jacquelin (21st), Grégory Havret (35th), Grégory Bourdy (41st). 60 players engaged.
2011: Grégory Bourdy (29th), Thomas Levet (42nd), Grégory Havret and Raphaël Jacquelin (48th). 58 players entered.
2012 : Raphaël Jacquelin (16e), Romain Wattel (21e), Victor Dubuisson (36e). 57 engaged players.
2013: Victor Dubuisson (3rd), Grégory Bourdy (21st), Raphaël Jacquelin (44th), Julien Quesne (47th). 56 players entered. (Dubuisson 7th in the Race).
2014: Victor Dubuisson (2nd), Alexander Levy (26th), Romain Wattel (36th). 60 players engaged. (Levy 7th in the Race, Dubuisson 10th. It is the only time that two French people have finished in the final top 10 of the Race).
2015: Victor Dubuisson (13th), Gary Stal (22nd), Grégory Bourdy (38th), Alexander Levy (46th), Raphaël Jacquelin (48th), Julien Quesne (53rd). 60 players engaged. (Dubuisson 10th in the Race).
2016: Victor Dubuisson (4th), Julien Quesne (23rd), Alexander Levy (27th), Grégory Bourdy (35th), Raphaël Jacquelin (50th), Romain Wattel (57th). 60 players engaged.
2017: Victor Dubuisson, Mike Lorenzo-Vera and Matthieu Pavon (13th), Alexander Levy (36th). 60 players engaged.
2018: Mike Lorenzo-Vera (30th), Alexander Levy (34th). 60 players engaged.
2019: Mike Lorenzo-Vera (3rd), Victor Perez (20th), Benjamin Hébert (38th), Romain Langasque (40th). 50 players engaged.
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