Perez qualifies for The Open Championship at Genesis Scottish Open
Cleeks Golf Club’s Victor Perez finished tied for ninth at The Renaissance Club and will compete at The Open at Royal Birkdale after earning one of the three spots available to the top three finishers not already exempt.
Victor Perez is going to Royal Birkdale.
The Cleeks Golf Club standout closed out the Genesis Scottish Open with a 4-under 66 to finish at 11-under overall and T9 for the week. In doing so, Perez secured one of three Open Qualifying Series spots available to non-exempt finishers at The Renaissance Club.
Tom Kim won the tournament at 17 under, with Min Woo Lee finishing solo second at 15 under.
RELATED: Final leaderboard
It is the biggest result of Perez's LIV Golf career, which included leading a strong contingent of LIV Golf players in the field this week. Perez came to North Berwick with Royal Birkdale on his mind and played four rounds of precise, composed links golf to earn his place in the field.
It was not without nerves. Perez knew exactly what he needed to do coming down the stretch and felt every bit of the pressure that came with it.
"I knew I needed a really good day and obviously a bit of luck with the guys ahead," Perez said. "I got off to a good start which then puts you in a good position. The end was definitely challenging. You tighten up a little bit. You start looking up the board."
What helped, he said, was the clarity of his situation. With the leaders so far clear of where an OQS spot would land, there was only one number to chase.
"There's no way I was going to win the tournament,” he said. “It was about managing the end. Seems like (it was) just enough."
Just enough is exactly right — and for Perez, it means everything. He missed The Open Championship last year after four consecutive appearances, and the absence clearly stung.
"Everything about it," he said when asked what makes The Open so special. "The history, just playing those massive events, the fields, everything around the place."
He has never played Royal Birkdale, and he is not pretending otherwise.
"Birkdale is one of the top venues, which I haven't done,” Perez said. “So, I'm looking forward to the challenge. It might be a quick preparation but better to have a quick one than no golf at all."
The Perez story was the LIV Golf headline, but there were encouraging signs throughout the group heading into next week.
Legion XIII star Tyrrell Hatton closed with a 1-under 69 to finish at 8 under and T17. It was a solid result that confirmed his game is in good shape ahead of Royal Birkdale. After a shaky even-par 70 on Thursday, Hatton strung together three consecutive rounds in the 60s and will head into The Open Championship with some momentum.
His Legion XIII teammate Tom McKibbin, who set the early tone for the LIV Golf players with his opening 3-under 67 on Thursday, finished at 5 under and T30 after an even-par 70 in the final round. A week of promise that plateaued a little on the back half, the Northern Irishman still showed enough to suggest his game is trending in the right direction.
Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm, who had hoped to round into form after his missed cut at the U.S. Open, closed with an even-par 70 to finish 4 under and T36. Three of his four rounds were under par, and Rahm on a links course at Royal Birkdale remains a threat.
Majesticks Golf Club’s Laurie Canter (T50) finished the week 2-under after a 1-over 71.
But the week belonged to Perez. He came through when it mattered, and now Royal Birkdale awaits.
