A French golfer now living in nearby Dundee is primed to capture the biggest tournament in his pro career
Victor Perez, 27 is competing on the European Tour as a full member for the first time in his pro career and he finds himself tied with England’s Matthew Southgate after three rounds Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Perez carded a second 64 of the week at Kingsbarns Golf Links to move to 20 under and was joined at the top of the leadeboard by Southgate after the Englishman birdied his final hole in a 65 at St Andrews.
England’s Paul Waring was then at 18 under after a brilliant 65 at Carnoustie, a shot clear of American Tony Finau and Swede Joakim Lagergren, both of whom played St Andrews in round three.
Born in the seaside town of Southend, Southgate’s familiarity with links golf comes as no surprise but Perez – who hails from the landlocked town of Tarbes – has taken a less direct route to master the coastal game.
The 27-year-old Frenchman moved to Dundee last year to be with his girlfriend and admitted after his opening 64 at St Andrews that he had been truly getting to grips with links golf after moving to the east coast.
LET’S HEAR FROM OUR @dunhilllinks CO-LEADER
🇫🇷 Victor Perez @v_perez2 brilliantly grabs 9 x 🐦 @KingsbarnsLinks to be tied atop 2⃣0⃣-under par
Victor, je te souhaite tout le succès possible demain @TheHomeofGolf 👏👍 pic.twitter.com/gyNsnECiOb
— Fatiha Betscher (@TOURMISS) September 28, 2019
He continued to show his prowess with a 68 in round two at Carnoustie and after a third round containing nine birdies and a single bogey, he will be looking to add a first European Tour title to his two Challenge Tour wins.
“It’s just being at home and comfortable and all the little things that come with it,” he said. “You drive your own car and sleeping in your own bed, a huge thing when you travel around and being in hotels all the time.
“I feel also the wind, just being comfortable with knowing that, ‘okay, this is 25 yards of wind into the wind’ and just trusting the numbers, I think that plays an advantage.
“It’s definitely what we practise for. It’s the home of golf, in the final group. What more to ask?”
Southgate produced one of the stories of the 2015 season as he came through all three stages of Qualifying School just months after undergoing surgery for testicular cancer.
image: http://www.europeantour.com/mm/Photo/Tournament/Tournaments/37/71/18/377118_M08.jpg
In 2016 he had a top five finish at Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and finished 12th at The Open Championship before further enhancing his links reputation by finishing second and sixth in those events the following season.
“We’ve played 54 holes and 51 of them haven’t looked like dropping a shot, really,” he said. “It’s been pretty special stuff tee to green and sticking to the game plan and ticking a lot of boxes.
“I’m so passionate about winning tournaments and being here at the home of golf tomorrow is going to be a difficult one to just keep myself in check and keep producing what I have done the first three days. The biggest job tomorrow is going to be keeping me in check rather than the golf swing.”
Waring had birdied the tenth and 12th before an eagle on the par five 14th had him within one of the lead.
Read more at http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2019/tournamentid=2019082/news/newsid=377101.html#ytJM2fTp6RmkQhsY.99
