Perez bidding for back-to-back victories in Germany

Victor Perez will take a one stroke lead into the final round of the Porsche European Open as he bids for back-to-back victories on the DP World Tour.

The Frenchman, who won his second DP World Tour title at last week’s Dutch Open in a thrilling play-off with Ryan Fox, made a perfect start to his third round at Green Eagle Golf Courses in Hamburg, Germany, as he birdied the first and then recorded a hole-in-one on the 217-yard par three 2nd hole.
He made the turn three-under-par after a birdie on the ninth, and then signed for a one-under-par 71 for a five-under-par total after bogeys on the 13th and 15th holes on the testing Porsche Nord Course. Should he win tomorrow, he would be the first player since Christiaan Bezuidenhout in 2020 to win in consecutive weeks on the DP World Tour.
“It was very difficult conditions again, I thought the course played really difficult. It’s just the wind doesn’t quite settle," said Perez.
"I felt like the ball was going quite far today, so there’s that to adjust. The wind wasn’t as obvious as I would have liked, or everybody would have liked. So you’re guessing ‘is it north, is it east, is it north-east’, so it became difficult to get distance control right."

Perez is one stroke clear of compatriot Julien Brun, bidding for a maiden DP World Tour title in his rookie season after graduating from the European Challenge Tour, and Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren, who is seeking his second victory.
Sharing fourth on three-under-par are Dutchman Wil Besseling and Li Haotong of China, while Justin Walters carded the joint-low round of the day, a three-under-par 69 to take solo sixth place on two under.