Victor Perez targets FedEx Cup Playoffs after missing Olympic medal by one stroke- "Making the top 50 is more important"
Victor Perez finished fourth at the Paris Olympics, with his score of 16 under ending up just one stroke off the podium. However, the Frenchman had little time to reflect on his Olympic performance, as he has another crucial event in front of him.
He will be teeing off at the Wyndham Championship, which begins this Thursday, August 8, at Sedgefield Golf Club in North Carolina. It is the final event of the regular season and the last chance to earn enough points to qualify for the playoffs.
Victor Perez is currently ranked 70th in the FedEx Cup standings, so he needs a good result to consolidate his place in the top 70. But his sights are set much higher.
Perez is aiming to break into the top 50, which would allow him to play in all the Signature Events next season. This is what he said (via PGA Tour News Service):
"Making the playoff is important but I think making top 50 is probably even more important with everything that leads and comes with it. I think we've seen this year how much the Signature Events have an impact."
He added:
"Having played well in Canada and getting into two Signature Events right after, on either side of the US Open, has really put me in a place where I'm competitive for the playoffs..." [0:01 - 0:23]
Victor Perez also reflected on the importance of Signature Events in the current PGA Tour scenario:
"They'll obviously have a lot of weight, whether people like the Signature Event, don't like them, from strictly a FedEx Cup perspective, they matter a lot, so making top 50 is probably the bigger goal rather than try to make it to next week." [o:32 - 0:47]
Victor Perez carded rounds of 70, 67, 68 and 63 at Le Golf National to finish as the highest-ranked Frenchman on the Paris Olympics leaderboard. He finished fourth behind medalists Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood, and Hideki Matsuyama.
Victor Perez's 2024 season at a glance
Victor Perez currently sits in the top 70 of the FedEx Cup rankings, just 3 points ahead of Davis Riley, who is 71st. A poor finish at the Wyndham Championship could see him miss the playoffs.
His place in the rankings comes on the shoulders of a 2024 season with mixed results. The Frenchman has played in 19 PGA Tour events and made 12 cuts. He has only three top 10 finishes and his best result was a tie for third at the Canadian Open.
As he mentioned, his result at Hamilton Golf & Country Club allowed him to make the field for the final two Signature Events of the season, the Memorial Tournament and the Travelers Championship. He tied for 12th at Muirfield and tied for 44th at TPC River Highlands.
Perez also played in three of this season's four majors (he missed the Masters). He made the cut at all three events.
Victor Perez is currently 336 points behind the accumulated points needed to enter the Top 50 (Nick Taylor, 969 points).