Victor Perez, already in the top 5 – Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Round 1

Of the seven Frenchmen who took the start this Thursday in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 2022, it is Victor Perez, 85th player in the world, who has the best start with a very solid 66 (-6). Tied for fourth, he is three behind the leader, Scotsman Scott Jamieson, who is one and two lengths ahead respectively of Norwegian Viktor Hovland and Belgian Thomas Pieters. Good start also for Alexander Levy and Julien Brun, seventeenth at -3.

Summoned at dawn (7.20 a.m. local) for the first part from tee n°1 of the Yas Links, new host of Abu Dhabi  HSBC Championship, Victor Perez did not miss his debut on the DP World Tour 2022. The Tarbais, visibly very strong and who had not played in competition since his 46th place in the final of the Race on November 21, thus signed a fiery first leg (-7 with an eagle and five birdies in seven holes only), even finding the luxury of taking the lead of the tournament alone at -8 after 14 holes thanks to a sixth birdie.

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Alas, a three putts on the green of 15 and a face-off too far to the right on par 5 of 18 forced the current 85th player in the world to concede two bogeys. These two slight erasures on the scorecard do not however prevent him from pointing to the top of the leaderboard, fourth ex-aequo (in the company of the defending champion, Tyrrell Hatton, and the Mr Ryder Cup, Ian Poulter), three lengths behind the Scot Scott Jamieson, impressive with his inaugural 63 (-9) without the slightest error. Viktor Hovland (-8) and Thomas Pieters (-7) came to take second and third place.

A great day for Victor Perez who, despite a slightly more difficult final with a bogey on 15 and 18, finished at -6

Abu Dhabi Championship – 1er tour pic.twitter.com/B0XNRZPsh2

— GOLF+ (@GolfCanalPlus) January 20, 2022

« I managed an early game that any player would have liked to achieve, he blurts out at the end of the recording at the microphone of the DP World Tour. I played really well (9 fairways hit out of 14, 17 greens out of 18 taken in regulation). When you find yourself in such a situation so quickly with a score of -7 or -8, the strangest thing is to find the right balance. It’s never easy to keep the same pace afterwards. Afterwards, the wind started to blow a little stronger but despite these two bogeys at the end, I’m very happy with my day. »

Overall, the tricolor representatives (amputated Wednesday evening by Matthieu Pavon, positive for Covid) got off to a pretty good start to their year on the Tour. Alexander Levy, very vindictive after two mediocre 2019 and 2020 seasons, posts an excellent 69 (-3), just like Julian Brown, from the Challenge Tour and already very comfortable alongside his experienced caddy, Basile Dalberto.

The duo thus manages to grab an encouraging top 20 (17th) and can hope to continue the adventure this weekend here in the Emirates. It will nevertheless be necessary to tame the elements this Friday, a day that is already announced as decisive. The weather forecast is indeed predicting very strong gusts of wind.

McIlroy and Morikawa, in the hard

As such, it will be interesting to follow some big favorites who somewhat tripped over the carpet this Thursday. This is the case, for example, of Rory McIlroy, author of a very dull 72 (par) punctuated by a ball in the water on the 18. 77th, the Northern Irishman is beyond a virtual cut set at -1.

Even more uncomfortable is the position of the n°1 of the Race 2021, Collin Morikawa. The American, who never managed to take the measure of this par 72 drawn by Kyle Phillips, must settle for a 73 (+1) with only two unfortunate birdies against a bogey and a double. The current world No. 2, who can dislodge the Spaniard Jon Rahm in the event of victory on Sunday, occupies a very provisional 90th place.

Provisional because twenty players, for lack of sufficient light, did not have time to complete their first round. They will have to get up very early on Friday to sign their card before moving on to a second round that is announced, therefore, dantesque!

The leaderboard

The leaderboard of other French people

Photo : Andrew Redington / Getty Images – AFP