Power Rankings: The CJ Cup at Nine Bridges
How great is it to see Pat Perez, well, being Pat Perez again? His win at last week’s CIMB Classic felt more like a casual weekend of golf with some buddies than a full-fledged PGA TOUR win. Of course, that’s the type of situation Perez thrives in. And at 41 years old, a year removed from major shoulder surgery, he may be poised for a career season.
Perez progressively got better throughout the first three rounds at TPC Kuala Lumpur, shooting 66-65-64 to open up his four-shot lead heading into Sunday’s finale. He coasted in with 11 pars in his final 12 holes, including ten straight to hold off the threat from Keegan Bradley. Had Bradley been able to string together some birdies of his own, things may have gotten a little more interesting, but Perez did what was needed to secure his third TOUR win.
Facing a new track, Perez gets the nod in the upper ranks as the hot hand. He led the field at the CIMB Classic in greens in regulation, after finishing 78th on TOUR in that metric last season. It may be just a single week, but sometimes things just pass the “eye test”. That was the case with Perez last week.
As long as he keeps avoiding the weight room, hitting up whatever local fast-food eatery is available and forcing the network TV censors to put in some overtime, I like his chances at another solid outing.