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ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Victor Perez won the Abu Dhabi Championship by one stroke on Sunday, his third and biggest European Tour title of his career, as the Frenchman He shot a 6-under 66 in the final round and finally shot out of the bunker on the 17th.
Perez had a one-shot lead on his short tee shot into a green bunker on the 17th hole. His second shot came about 10 feet from the hole and back, Perez jumped out of the sand and chest-butted his caddy.
“It was probably the best shot I ever hit,” Perez said.
A final bogey — when he tee off into a bunker and sink his second shot into the water — was enough to earn the 30-year-old Perez a $1.53 million winner’s check and increase in one of the tour’s top events. His chance to represent Team Europe in this year’s Ryder Cup.
Perez nearly cried when he was told he was second in the Ryder Cup standings and would likely play the U.S. outside of Rome.
His previous victories on tour came at the Dunhill Links Championship in 2019 and the Dutch Open last May.
Perez shot 18 under for the tournament, with Sebastian Soderbergh (67) and Lee Min Woo (68) tied for second.
Lee almost made a dramatic playoff when his third shot on the par-5 18th came back and narrowly missed the Eagle Cup.
After the third round, Lee was tied for the lead with major champions Sean Lowry and Francesco Molinari, but they both missed the cut on the back nine of Yas Island Links.
Lowry, in particular, tied for 28th with a tough 76 after a bogey-bogey-triple bogey-bogey.
Irishman Padraig Harrington, 51, was alone in fourth after a closing 67, two shots behind Perez.
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