Victor Perez holes SUPERB BUNKER SHOT to win Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Victor Perez started his campaign for a Ryder Cup debut in perfect fashion with a dramatic victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

The Frenchman largely controlled top spot on the leaderboard at Yas Links on Sunday, with the decisive moment coming on 17 when he holed an incredible bunker shot to take a crucial two-shot lead.

Perez became the second French winner of this event with his third DP World Tour title. His first win in the Rolex Series also makes him the first man from his nation to pick up a trophy in one of the Tour's special events.

Having impressed during the Hero Cup last week, Perez has banked 5,000 points on the European Ryder Cup Points List with the event just eight months away in September.

Francesco Molinari, Shane Lowry and Min Woo Lee began the day with a share of the lead on 13-under, but it was Lowry and Perez who made the first moves of the final day.

Frozen rope, @v_perez2 edition. #ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/Snnuo8UCbt

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 22, 2023

Lowry birdied the 2nd and 5th holes and Perez birdied his first two holes of the round to sit one behind the Irishman on 14-under. But as the 2019 Open champion bogeyed the 6th hole, Perez made back-to-back birdies on 6 and 7 to take a two-shot lead over him and Lee.

The Frenchman maintained a two-shot lead over his Australian opponent on 17-under through 10, while Lowry fell further back with a bogey on 9. Meanwhile, the Swedish duo of Alex Noren and Sebastian Soderberg moved into contention on 14-under.

Three-time major champion Padraig Harrington began the last day two shots behind the leading trio, and despite making two bogeys on the front nine, Harrington's game caught fire on the back nine as it did on Saturday.

The 51-year-old made four birdies between holes 10 and 14 to reach 16-under. He was just one shot behind Perez and Lee at this stage on 16-under, after Perez bogeyed the par-4 14th hole.

Perez took a one-shot lead with three holes left after a birdie on the 15th before performing heroics on the par-3 17th hole. He hit a perfect bunker shot which landed past the pin and spun back into the cup. Cue raucous celebrations.

Although he made a hash of the 72nd hole by finding the fairway bunker and then the hazard area, Perez finished on 18-under with a 66. He survived the efforts of Soderberg and Lee on the final hole who respectively needed a birdie and an eagle to force a playoff.

The shot of his life!@v_perez2 leads by two with one to play.#ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/D9NGAuyBLv

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 22, 2023

Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship - Final leaderboard

-18 V Perez

-17 S Soderberg, M. W. Lee

-16 P Harrington

-14 A Noren, F Molinari

-13 T Hatton, J Scrivener, S Sharma

-12 S Valimaki, D Whitnell, R Cabrera Bello, R Hojgaard, R Bland, A Meronk, G Forrest