	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

OMEGA DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC

January 25, 2020

Victor Perez

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Q. Front nine of 1-over par 36, then you really got going with four birdies in a row from the 10th. What were you thinking during that stretch?
VICTOR PEREZ: Obviously kind of a slow start but it's expected on this kind of golf course. The front nine is obviously playing a lot harder than the back nine and it's one of those thing that, the course being difficult, you have to stay patient, you know eventually on 72 holes you're going to get a stretch where it's going to be difficult. I hit a decent shot on 5, I was right against a trunk, had to chip sideways, and had five feet for bogey on 5 to not go to 3-over for the day. So I kind of took my medicine early and obviously made a great putt on 8 that got me going. And then on the green on 10, or just off the green and birdie 10, birdie 11, made a good putt on 12, on the green on 13 in two and 2-putt. So obviously, yeah, I was finding my groove on the back nine and obviously great to finish off with a couple of birdies as well.

Q. Ashun Wu was flying in the middle of his round, got to 12-under par when you were about 9- or 10-, was it giving you something to aim at to try and get after him?
VICTOR PEREZ: Not really. I saw he was kind of up there by himself and we were all around 7- or 8-under par, so I knew that if you kind of beat the guys around you and you do that, then and if Ashun plays great and he takes the lead then it leaves us with nothing. But, no, I wasn't really paying too much attention. There was -- six holes into the round today I told myself we were just passing halfway, we played two rounds yesterday obviously and we have 36 holes left, so just a lot of golf left and a lot of golf left tomorrow as well.

Q. You had an incredible season last year winning the Dunhill Links and obviously finishing 13th on the Race to Dubai. What was the most valuable thing you learned last year?
VICTOR PEREZ: I think winning was obviously great. Being my first year it's nice to get over the hump and tick that box off and it definitely frees me up when I play. I think when you're a rookie you come in and there's this expectation, like you want to play well but you don't know how well you can play and hopefully win. And it was good to get that one over the hump and it's been a good ride ever since then and hopefully many more to come.

Q. Fantastic third round 67 here in Dubai. How do you analyze today's performance?
VICTOR PEREZ: Obviously very strong mentally. I felt like it could have been easy to let that round slip a little bit, being a couple over par through five holes and the course really not giving you much on the front nine, you kind of have to take your medicine and know that the chances are on the back. You want to try to go through the front as best as you can and I was able to manage. I made a great birdie on 8 that got me to 1-over par on the front nine which I was kind of pleased considering the way it could have turned out. You can miss a putt here and there and I feel like I was doing well and obviously got on a big run on the back nine which puts me in a good position going into tomorrow.

Q. I know the back nine opens itself up a little bit more to birdies, but it looked like a lot changed. Did you have a word with your caddie or did something change? Six birdies on those last nine holes.
VICTOR PEREZ: Not really. It's one of those things, I felt like I was hitting some good shots. I mean, I hit a great drive at the 2nd and obviously the greens being firm and fast it's tricky to get those up-and-downs from 40 yards, didn't get it there and then kind of had my bit of a tricky shot on 3 right off the edge of the green, make par there after two great shots. And then 4 I think I got maybe a bit gusted, just over the green, tough up-and-down, made bogey. Hit it against the tree on 5. And you haven't really done anything wrong and you're 2-over par, but that's just what it is on the course that's set up difficult and I think that the organization has done great job making a great challenge. I think 12-under par maybe 13- leading, 14- if he eagles the last, going into day 4 is very challenging, knowing that Bryson won at 24-under last year. So I think they're really making a statement with the course setup and it's a great challenge and I think it definitely keeps you on your toes.

Q. You're certainly not looking nervous out there ever since the win at the Alfred Dunhill Links, a week a player needs to kind of springboard themselves on this tour. Six top-20 finishes since then in the last seven tournaments. You're obviously feeling very comfortable in yourself.
VICTOR PEREZ: Yeah, I think that it's a combination of things. I think obviously like if you look at my past in the previous tours, I kind of peaked towards the end of the year on the Challenge Tour, I played well, I was kind of in the middle of the pack up until the end of the year and played really well at the end, so I got on those runs where I'm kind of free wheeling it, which is obviously what you hope for and hope it lasts as long as possible and obviously it's been a great run, I think I've done a really good job this off season preparing for the upcoming year with a lot of travel and obviously it's great to be in this position going into Sunday.

Q. I think you kind of answered it with your score today on that back nine, but given we're expecting a bit of drama, especially the way the course is set up, where do you see opportunities for yourself when things get a bit more dramatic?
VICTOR PEREZ: It's difficult. I mean, maybe somebody goes out -- and I think tomorrow's supposed to be windy so it's going to be a good challenge. I think, again, we never know, somebody might come from early and post a number that nobody can really catch. I think we have seen that in the past happen at plenty of tournaments. So it's very open. On a course that's being, that's challenging, that's supposed to be windy, I think you just want to -- there's enough of a battle with your self to focus on.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297