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Master of putting, Victor Perez signs his 2nd victory on the European Tour at the Dutch Open

Victor Perez SANDER KING / AFP

Two and a half years after his success at Carnoustie, the French golfer won the play-off at the Dutch Open by scoring four fantastic putts against New Zealander Ryan Fox.

Victor Perez put on an incredible display to defeat Ryan Fox in the shoot-off and win 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 in the last lap on the course of the Bernardus Golf Club, the Tarbais was three strokes behind the leader in the 17th and penultimate lap… before drawing his putter!

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 this boiling hot putter! He investigated a putt from the end of the world (about 12 meters) to win on the next hole!

«I just tried to focus on myself all day, that’s all I can do is try to keep a champion mindset and hit good shot after good shot“, he explained when he left the course. Adding: “There was some good luck, 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’s going to happen in golf: guys come out of nowhere and win tournaments and guys take huge leads. You just have to focus on yourself and not look at the board and I was lucky to fall on the right side today.

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. And as if that weren’t enough, the Frenchman won an invitation for the 3rd Major of the season, the US Open, which will take place in Brookline (Massachusetts) from June 13 to 19. Like Perez, his unfortunate opponent in the playoff, the New Zealander Ryan Fox, and the Pole Adrian Meronk (-12) pocket their tickets for the Grand Slam tournaments.

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 24th 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

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