Victor Perez edges Ryan Fox in play-off to clinch Dutch Open title

Victor Perez hailed “a bit of magic” after defying the odds to beat Ryan Fox on the fourth hole of a sudden-death play-off to win the Dutch Open.

Fox looked certain to win in regulation when he chipped in for a birdie on the 11th, holed from 80 feet for an eagle on the 12th and then holed from 45 feet for birdie on the 14th to establish a three-shot lead.

However, the 35-year-old New Zealander drove into a water hazard on the 18th, missed the green with his approach and duffed his fourth shot into a greenside bunker to run up a double-bogey seven.

Playing two groups behind, Perez holed from 35 feet for birdie on the 17th to move into a share of the lead on 13 under par and hit a superb approach into the last, but missed from seven feet for a winning birdie.

The players returned to the par-five 18th and Perez had to hole from 15 feet to match Fox’s birdie on the first extra hole, with neither player able to make birdie at the second attempt.

Fox again had one hand on the trophy on the third extra hole when he found the green in two and set up a tap-in birdie, only for Perez to hole from 30 feet to stay alive.

And Perez then rubbed more salt into the wound when the action switched to the par-three 17th, the Frenchman holing another long-range putt for birdie before a shellshocked Fox missed his.

WHAT A PUTT!