Day, Scott reflect best of Australia in World Fame 100

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The best shot of Victor Perez’s life has set up likely the biggest year of the Frenchman’s golfing career. Perez span a bunker shot back into the hole for birdie at No. 17 and celebrated wildly on the way to shooting 6-under 66 for a one-stroke victory at the Abu Dhabi Championship on Sunday, earning him his third and easily biggest DP World Tour title. “It was probably the greatest shot I’ve ever hit,” Perez said. That wasn’t the end of the drama in a crazy finish at Yas Island Links. Two strokes clear when teeing off at the par-5 18th, Perez drove into a fairway bunker, hit his second shot nearly into the water and two-putted for a bogey. Min Woo Lee, playing in the group behind, needed an eagle at the last to force a playoff and his third shot raced just past the hole then rolled slowly back down the hill to settle within a foot of the cup. Only then could Perez, watching the television in the scorer’s hut, truly celebrate winning around $1.5 million at one of the tour’s top events. It could be a life-changing victory for Perez, who climbed into second place in Europe’s Ryder Cup qualification standings. A captain’s pick for the contest with the United States outside Rome looks likely at the very least. Perez was almost brought to tears when he was asked about what this victory would do for his career. “There’s a lot of big things coming up, I’ve had a really good off-season, I’ve worked really hard …,” an emotional Perez said before stepping away and covering his face with his hands. Perez finished on 18 under par for the tournament, with Sebastian Soderberg (67) and Lee (68) tied for second place. His previous wins on the tour came at the Dunhill Links Championship in 2019 and the Dutch Open in May last year. Lee was in a share of the lead after the third round with major winners Shane Lowry and Francesco Molinari, but the latter two faded away in the back nine. Lowry, in particular, struggled to a 76 after finishing bogey-bogey-triple bogey-bogey, and was in a tie for 28th. Molinari shot 71 and was tied fifth. Perez birdied four of his first seven holes and twice held a two-shot lead early in the final round. He did so again after playing the par-3 17th hole. Leading by one at that stage, Perez left his tee shot short and in a greenside bunker. His second shot went about 10 feet beyond the cup and span back into it, leading to Perez leaping out of the sand and chest-bumping his caddie. “It came up maybe a little skinny, I’m not going to lie,” he said, “and it span back and I had the fortune of the ball going in.” Perez spoke of more “fortune” down the 18th, when he fluffed his second shot and saw it roll down the hill and end up in thick rough near the water hazard. “I would have had to drop in the rough, you’re playing 4, you catch a flyer and now the whole thing is back on the table,” he said. That didn’t happen, though. Perez chipped out from the rough and hit a 7-iron under pressure pin-high from 150 yards. Perez missed out on getting in Europe’s team for the Ryder Cup in 2021 having also been in a good position early in qualification. He is hoping to make amends now he is top of the Race to Dubai standings and is about to rise into the top 60 in the world. “It’s a position that I know — I’ve been in, basically, these shoes 2 1/2 years ago for Whistling Straits,” he said. “I’m delighted because it’s something hopefully I know, I can draw a little bit of experience from it and maybe use it going forward.” Padraig Harrington, the 51-year-old Irishman and three-time major winner, was alone in fourth place — two shots behind Perez — after a closing 67.

HONOLULU - Hayden Buckley made eagle the hard way (from 133 yards at the par-4 10th hole) and the easy way (from 27 inches at the par-5 18th) as he shot a second straight 64 to get to 15 under par and take a two-shot lead at the Sony Open in Hawaii. David Lipsky (66), Ben Taylor (65), and Chris Kirk (68) are two back, while Si Woo Kim (64) and Andrew Putnam (62) are at 12 under and will go into Sunday three back. With his first PGA TOUR victory in his sights, the question had to be asked: When was the last time Buckley was out at a restaurant and got recognized as a professional golfer? "Probably never," said Buckley, who got married in the off-season and barely touched a club. "Doesn't happen much. I'm enjoying that while I can." Lipsky and England's Taylor will also be seeing their first win Sunday. Then there's Kirk, 37, a four-time PGA TOUR winner, most recently at the 2015 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. That was the same year Kirk played for the winning U.S. Presidents Cup Team in South Korea. Will having those experiences give him a leg up? "I don't know, probably not," he said. "If I had won three weeks ago maybe, but it's been a little while. I definitely know what it takes, but also know it's not easy to do. "But I definitely like where I’m at," he continued. "I like the way my golf game feels. Obviously am very comfortable and love this place, so I’m excited for the opportunity against these guys that haven't won. Most of them are probably 15 years I younger than me." Kirk has four top-10s, including two runner-up finishes at the Sony, where he has recorded 13 rounds of 65 or better since 2011, more than anyone. Another reason he should like his position is that four of the last five winners of the Sony came from an average of two strokes back. Putnam, who made his 13th straight cut at the Sony, the second-longest active streak on TOUR (Jon Rahm, 20), lives in Tacoma, Washington, which doesn't have optimal winter weather, so he prepared for one island golf trip with another. Last month he went to Cuba with friends who help residents start small businesses, and he brought his clubs and played three times at Varadero Golf Club. "It's a good course," he said. "Unfortunately, they had a huge fire, and all the mowers were destroyed, so $7 million worth of damage right before we got there. I think they had one or two mowers on the whole island. I think they have to hand mow all through the night to get the course ready." Putnam, whose lone TOUR win came at the 2018 Barracuda Championship, was 2 over through four holes Saturday. Then he made six straight birdies and ended his round with three more. He took just 24 strokes on the greens and made 167 feet of putts. Not surprisingly, he ranked No. 1 in Strokes Gained: Putting for the round. He's also tops in the field in that metric for the week - he's made over 400 feet of putts - which is important at the Sony. Since 2010, ever Sony winner but one has ranked in the top 10 in Strokes Gained: Putting. Si Woo Kim shot a third-round 64 and said his singles victory over Justin Thomas at the Presidents Cup last fall helped with his self-belief. "My game was little down like at the end of the season," said Kim, a three-time PGA TOUR winner, including THE PLAYERS Championship in 2017, "but I think that kind of like gave me momentum." They'll all be chasing Buckley, 26, who has already experienced one life-changing moment in Hawaii. It wasn't that long ago that he shot a 61 at the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational, a college tournament in Hawaii. He was a senior at Missouri and realized he might just have the stuff to play golf professionally, perhaps even on the PGA TOUR. "It kind of woke me up a little bit to where I realized, this is something I could do for a living," he said. "... It was that defining moment where I was studying pretty hard, and I studied a little less hard after that because I knew that golf was something that I was going to pursue." In his 40th PGA TOUR start, this marks the first time Buckley has held the 54-hole lead. Newly married, he's also a new resident of Jupiter, Florida, having moved there from nearby Fort Myers in the fall. He's spent only three days in Jupiter and hasn't had time to find a place to play. Perhaps, someone suggested, the clubs there will have to fight for him. "Hope so," he said. "That would be great."