Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship winner Victor Perez will compete in next week’s Ras Al Khaimah Championship after confirming he had pulled out of the Saudi International in a bid to bank as many Ryder Cup and Race to Dubai points as possible following his maiden Rolex Series triumph at Yas Links.
In what would have been a blow to the DP World Tour, the Frenchman was set to tee it up with the likes of LIV Golf defectors Graeme McDowell, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Cameron Smith as well as DP World Tour stars Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry in the Asian Tour event, which clashes with the final tournament of the Desert Swing.
But the Frenchman confirmed this morning during a press conference at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic that he will have both eyes on securing a PGA Tour card through the Race to Dubai Rankings.
“I was on the entry list for a fair bit,” said Perez when asked if he had been on the entry list for the Saudi International after confirming he was no longer taking part.
“It was kind of like a split decision because I knew that my thinking at the start of the year was to get the PGA TOUR card, to get those ten spots and qualify for The Ryder Cup.
“Those were the two goals, and I said to myself, depending on how I start, you know, there’s going to be RAK, and it’s obviously a bigger purse than Saudi, so there’s going to be difference there also.
“But if I can get off to a good start, I just need to pile on and get as many points as you can. Just as much as we all hope for consistency and Top 5s every week, it’s not realistic. Every time you play well, you try to get as many points as you can, and obviously last week gave me a bunch of points, and I’m hoping to continue this week and next week and maybe take a break.
“But the goal is 100 per cent, you know, to get the top 10 right now.”
Ticket registration for the 2023 Ras Al Khaimah Championship is now open, with fans invited to register for free tickets here.
Spectators who would like to elevate their experience at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship have the opportunity to purchase a place to play alongside DP World Tour professionals in the Monday Pro-Am. Click here to purchase a Pro-Am place or hospitality tickets.
