Frenchman Victor Perez held off the field despite some late drama at the Abu Dhabi Championship
Who needs the world’s best? Pre-tournament chatter here at the Abu Dhabi Championship surrounded the appearance of just one player from inside the Top 20 of golf’s ranking system. A prize fund of $9m was not a sufficient draw for golfers who can now compete for double that purse as routine.
“That was probably the greatest shot I’ve ever hit,” Perez said later. The element of doubt raised eyebrows. His was a flick Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and other Abu Dhabi absentees would have been proud of. Perez with the Abu Dhabi Championship trophy after posting a final round of 66 to make it 18 under par for the week.There was more to come. An eagle for Min Woo Lee at the 18th would have tied Perez. The Australian came agonisingly close to forcing extra holes, with a gloriously judged chip which rolled, rolled and rolled to within centimetres of the cup. Lee will rue bogeys at the last on both Thursday and Friday.