Victor Perez produced a 6-under 66 on Sunday in Dubai to capture the title at the 2023 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
The 30-year-old Frenchman finished his final day at Yas Links with two bogeys against eight birdies, highlighted by six gains in an 11-hole stretch (Nos. 1-11), to reach 18-under par.
“I got off to a good start, and I was just focusing on me and trying to do the best I can because I knew you can’t control what everybody else is doing,” said Perez. “And I was just trying to plod along.
“But Seb (Soderberg) played fantastic and was right there and never gave me an opening. I’m delighted to finish on top. It was a crazy finish, but I feel like I’m used to that now. Hopefully I can make it a little easier for the next one.”
With the victory, Perez moves to the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings while giving his Ryder Cup chances a big boost.
Perez added: “It’s a great year ahead. There’s a lot of big things coming up. I’ve had a really good off-season. I’ve worked really hard.”
Min Woo Lee, who shot 68, finished T2 alongside Soderberg (67), one shot clear of Padraig Harrington (67).
Alex Noren (68) and Francesco Molinari (71) finished T5 on 14 under.
2023 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
Leaderboard: Top 5
Pos-Player-To Par (Today)
1. Victor Perez -18 (-6)
2. Min Woo Lee -17 (-4)
2. Sebastian Soderberg -17 (-6)
4. Padraig Harrington -16 (-5)
5. Alex Noren -14 (-4)
5. Francesco Molinari -14 (-1)
Top-3 Check Cashers
1. Victor Perez $1.54m
2. Min Woo Lee $784k
2. Sebastian Soderberg $784k
Perez’s Winning Stats
Driving: 300.9 yards (10th)
Fairways: 63.1% (40th)
Greens: 75.7% (33rd)
Putts/GIR: 1.8 (31st)
Scoring: 26 Birdies, 39 Pars, 5 Bogeys, 1 Triple
