Victor Perez - © European Tour

Although originally from the Hautes-Pyrénées in the south of France, Victor Perez has lived for 18 months in Dundee, just 20 minutes from the course, with his girlfriend Abigail who is a dental student there. She ran to the 18th green to congratulate him.

Victor Perez said: “It was a great victory for me, and it showed me that I can do it. The question now is, to what extent can I replicate this in the future? Obviously when you win you want to ride the wave a bit. "

“Obviously living in Dundee makes it more special. I think there are a number of reasons why I came here. I think the golf culture in Scotland should make almost all golfers want to come here, if you are in mainland Europe. People here love golf, it's golf, it's just the passion of the game. ”

For 18 holes Southgate and Perez had made their way into the Hold Course, but in the end, as is often the case with big events in St Andrews, the game was played on 17, the Road Hole, where Southgate bogeyed (5) for a par for Victor Perez creating a decisive lead at this point.

Earlier the par 5 of 14 had been just as important when Southgate with a 6 for bogey against a 4 for birdie from Victor Perez which brought the Frenchman back into the race.

Victor Perez finally finished 70 to 71 for Southgate for a total of 22 under for his first victory on the European Tour. He placed 20th in the Race to Dubai and among the top 70 in the world ranking.

Victor Perez adds: " It was not easy. Matt played incredibly well. I was expecting other guys to load in and we were lucky it was a one-on-one with Matt in the back nine. Hats off to him. He gave me a hard time. I felt like it could have gone both ways. I managed to birdie on the 14th which really pulled me up and kept me going until the end. "

For Southgate, being in the position he has held marks a personal milestone, having battled cancer in 2015. He said: “It has been a horrible season for me and it has it all. straight away fixed the problem and brought us straight back to Race to Dubai and that's the goal for me. I think I proved to the world this week that when I start I can mix with the best and I beat a hell of a lot of good players this week.

"I'm sure when it all comes out in the open I'll be drinking a beer somewhere with a smile and good friends and I will consider this week a huge hit and a great achievement in my career, to record four scores like that on the routes we have done this week. I played golf, and you can't help but be happy. Victor, what a gentleman. I've never played with him before, and I couldn't be happier for him. "

Many thought Tony Finau would be the biggest threat after a great year finishing third in The Open Championship and fifth in the Masters, but he never seemed able to move his game forward.

Hoping to become the first American to win the Alfred Dunhill Links, he started with a birdie at 1, but could only play the nine to go into par. It was a similar story for the returning nines, as he failed to catch up on Southgate and Victor Perez and he finished tied for tenth at 18 under par with a score of 71.

The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship celebrates golf at the highest level and is played on the former courses of St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. With a prize money of US $ 5 million, it features two separate competitions - an individual tournament for top professionals and a team championship in which professionals are matched with amateur golfers.

Tommy Fleetwood had one of the best laps of the day with a 64 to finish at 19 under par, but he did it too late to catch Victor Perez. However, he and his amateur partner Ogden Phipps edged out Rory and Gerry McIlroy to win the Tag Team Championship.

With rounds of 62 and 61 respectively, both teams finished 39 under par over the tournament as a whole, meaning that Fleetwood's brilliant individual score (64) was decisive compared to McIlroy's final round, which was at 67.

Playing two groups behind Fleetwood and American businessman Phipps, the McIlroys matched their rivals blow-by-blow as after hitting the tee on 10, they raced for the Leeward Team Championship title. of the nine to go from the Old Course.

And it all came down to the question of whether Rory or his father Gerry could make an eagle for two on the 9 par-4 of 322 meters to bring them to 40 under par. Hitting first, Rory arrived 9 meters from the green and Gerry, who plays with a 2,75 handicap playing his driver from the amateurs' tee, almost reached the putting surface with a smashing strike of 275 meters.

Rory's chip came in time for a birdie, while Gerry's long putt went just one inch from the hole before stopping two feet away.

Fleetwood and Phipps, who were now watching the drama on TV, could start celebrating - knowing that their dime turn had propelled them out of reach of other teams still on the course.

Phipps said: “Wow - thank you Dunhill for all the experience. I've known Tommy since he was 19 and we've played together seven times in this event. My wife Ashley and Tommy's wife Clare are also great friends and Tommy stayed with us over the summer when he came to play the US PGA Championship. We had dinner together every night this week and we talk regularly on the phone. "

McIlroy paid tribute to his father after the fact, who will turn 60 next week, saying: “We have achieved scores of 61, 62 and 61 the last three days. My father played very well, and we had a very good trip. Daddy's golf has been amazing this week. He did four or five eagles and was only three shots behind the first amateur. On Friday at Kingsbarns he made a raw score of three under on par, and he must have made 2-3 under on his own ball in the back nine, yesterday and today it was the same . He played very, very well. "

This is the 35th year that Alfred Dunhill has supported golf at St Andrews, through the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and previously the Alfred Dunhill Cup. Since the creation of the Alfred Dunhill Links Foundation in 2011, more than € 7 has been raised for charity.

To consult the leaderboard, click here.