[20] WINTER 2018/19 | INTERVIEW GOLFNEWS.CO.UK
PEPP TALK
With a breakthrough win in Qatar, and a second career title at the British Masters, Oxfordshire’s Eddie Pepperell has finally reached golf’s top table – and he’s quite enjoying the view I N T E R V I E W B Y N I C K B AY LY. P H O T O G R A P H Y G E T T Y I M A G E S
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fter six years on the European Tour, and plenty of excellent results, it’s hard to describe this season as a breakthrough, but do you feel that this year has marked a significant turning point in your career? Yes, of course. Breakthroughs don’t necessarily have to involve a win, but in a game where you are often really only judged on your victories, it was definitely a breakthrough to win my first European Tour event in Qatar. And then winning again at the British Masters was another breakthrough of sorts. That moved me into the world’s top 50, and the opportunities that comes with that, so yeah, it’s definitely been a breakthrough season in terms of the level of my play and the results that have followed. Finishing second in the Scottish Open and sixth at The Open were also breakthroughs in my mind, given the quality of the fields, so it’s been a very consistent season, as well as a winning one. You’ve had a few chances to win since you joined the tour in 2011, but did you ever think that it would take this long to get your head in front? To be honest, I didn't really have any expectations of how long it might or might not take. Obviously I had some good opportunities to win in 2014 and 2015, and then 2016 was a bit more of a struggle, but I’ve had some chances, but I wouldn't say I had a lot of great chances. So to actually go out to Qatar and
win, going into the final round with a lead, was great. Sometimes the margins are so fine between second, third and a win. It's tough to win out here, but it's also tough to be consistently a top-ten or top-five player. By and large I've achieved that quite well in my career, but I'd just never managed to win. In my mind, it didn't show that I wasn't a winner or I needed a breakthrough win. I'm just a consistent golfer and I knew my time would hopefully come, and now it has – twice.
win again. To lead from the front for pretty much 72 holes was mentally very tough, and I was really pleased with the way I coped with that pressure. The final round was a real grind, with the wind and the rain, but I had just enough in the locker to see me home. The crowds were great, and I certainly had a lot of support out there. I knew Walton Heath well from my junior days, and have twice qualified for the US Open there, so the course had good memories for me – and even better ones now.
What was your overriding emotion when the winning putt dropped in Qatar? Pure relief was the main emotion, and I think that came across by my reaction. I certainly wasn’t dancing around the green. When Ollie [Fisher] was over his putt, it ran through my mind that I had a play-off before and lost it. I won one on the Challenge Tour when Jeppe Huldahl holed a good putt on the last to force a play-off and I thought, 'this is going to a play-off here'. And then when Oli missed I thought 'my parents are going to be going metal', so there was a lot going on mentally before that tap-in. I didn't feel totally comfortable with my swing during the final round, so it was a bit of an ugly win and I'm quite proud of that.
Do you feel like you’ve done anything different this year? Not really, it’s just been about consistency. I changed my coach the week before Qatar – I’m working with a guy called Simon Shanks, which is admittedly not a great name for a coach, but he’s definitely kept me more on the straight and narrow. I’m not a very technical player, but I’m a bit more consistent off the tee – mainly because I’ve often been hitting a 3-wood – but it’s been all-round better. The key thing for me this year has been hitting good iron shots into the greens, as that means that I don’t have to putt that well to score well, and when I do putt well I can pick up shots against the field.
Having got that first win under your belt, how pleasing was it to get the second ticked off just six months later at the British Masters?? I always felt that once I got that first one out of the way, I would be able to feed off that confidence and
It sounds like you're not the kind of person who sets too many goals, but how will you reassess things now that you’re qualified for the majors and World Golf Championship events? I think it's probably going to mean I'll get a better TV draw on Thursdays and Fridays, but it doesn't really
EDDIE PEPPERELL FACTFILE AGE: 28
TURNED PRO: 2011
LIVES: ABINGDON, OXFORDSHIRE
WORLD RANKING: 38
ATTACHMENT: FRILFORD HEATH GOLF CLUB
RACE TO DUBAI RANKING (2018): 14 TOTAL APPEARANCES: 146
PRO WINS: 2012 ALLIANZ OPEN, 2014 FARMFOOD PAR-3 C'SHIP, 2018 QATAR MASTERS, 2018 BRITISH MASTERS
CAREER TOP-10S: 30 BEST MAJOR FINISH: 6TH (THE OPEN 2018) CAREER PRIZE MONEY: €5.1M
