Pat Perez, through most of his career, was best-known on the PGA Tour for his volatile temper.
Many felt it was the part of his makeup that held him back, the part of his psyche that accounted for only one PGA Tour win — the 2009 Bob Hope. That was so long ago that the event is no longer the Bob Hope.
Perez at age 40 has mellowed and the talent beneath the volcano came to the surface Sunday at the OHL Classic when he threw five birdies at the rest of the field over the first nine holes then went on to capture only his second PGA Tour win.
Perez started the day a shot behind overnight leader Gary Woodland but his 31 at the turn, gave him a three-shot lead over Scott Piercy and a four shot margin over Woodland. Neither player pressed him to any degree over the final nine holes with Perez keeping his focus on the job at hand.
In the end, Perez shot 67, posted 21-under par, good for a two-shot margin of victory over Woodland, whose birdie-birdie finish earned him solo second at 19-under.
Russell Knox captured solo third at 18-under when Piercy double-bogeyed the final hole.
For Perez, it was a cruise-control final nine — eight pars and just a single hiccup bogey at the par four 12th.
It was a great bounce-back for Perez, who underwent should surgery last March to repair a torn labrum.
“I was really calm out there,” Perez said after the huge victory. “I had a lot of confidence when I came back (after surgery). I thought I was gonna be successful when I came back.”
