“I certainly knew when I was heading off the course in a buggy in Turkey that I wasn’t going to see a golf course for a while.”
Eddie Pepperell had played six holes of his second round at the Turkish Airlines Open when he handed his scorecard to his playing partners and headed back to the clubhouse at Regnum Carya.
To some outside observers, this would have been seen as merely a fit of pique, a lashing out at the quadruple-bogey just surrendered, but those who have followed Pepperell over the years will have known better than that.
Catapulted to golfing fame initially by his easy-going nature and social media presence, in 2018 he won twice on the DP World Tour to prove he had the game to match the personality.
His status was elevated even further internationally the following year, with a 49-foot putt on the famous 17th at Sawgrass helping him to a tie for third at THE PLAYERS Championship during a period when he was ensconced in the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking.
Since then he has had limited status on the DP World Tour, regained his card, retained it and then lost it again, agonisingly missing a seven-foot eagle putt on the 108th hole at Q School in November to get it back once again.
In all that time he has been candid about his struggles with both the technical and mental side of his game and how that has had an impact on day-to-day life and as he prepared to hit competitive shots for the first since time since his withdrawal in Antalya at last week’s Blot Play9, he once again opened up to the HotelPlanner Tour highlights show on Sky Sports.
“There is so much to play for now,” he said. “Irrespective of where you are on the ladder: whether you’re where I am right now or DP World Tour trying to chase for a PGA TOUR card or a PGA TOUR player trying to ensure you stay in the top 50, there’s a lot to be pushing for.
“I do think we’re seeing some of the remnants and the fallout of that across a number of different players – players are pushing hard. In a game like golf where it’s a long, long career, that’s a recipe for trouble at some point.”
He may have missed the cut in France but he cut a relaxed figure and revealed he was feeling more positive after five weeks off.
“I’m feeling good,” he said. “I’ve had a nice break and I think I needed it.
“I just played a lot of golf, not just this year but at the end of last year and I think it had just taken its toll a little bit. I had not played that well generally so I was feeling quite frustrated on the course and that culminated in me walking off in Turkey.
“I knew before Turkey but I certainly knew when I was heading off the course in a buggy in Turkey that I wasn’t going to see a golf course for a while.
“It’s been nice just to get back home. I had a lovely trip up to Skye in Scotland with Jen and the dogs which is probably one of the nicest trips that I’ve ever been on.
“I’ve done a bit of golf but not too much, really. I just relaxed and tried to get a bit healthier so that when I do return to competition then at least I feel as if I’ve put in some good habits that I can at least tick to and give me a sense of control away from what continues to be probably quite a chaotic environment for me on the golf course.”
Wife Jen, whom Pepperell married last year, has been a constant presence throughout the highs and lows of his professional career, with the pair having been together since they were teenagers.
I’m still invested, I still want to do well and I’m going to give the rest of this year certainly everything that I feel like I can
This season Jen has also taken on a more visible role as a regular caddie for Pepperell and the 34-year-old is delighted to have her familiar presence by his side on the road.
“I’ve been married to Jen for not that long but we’ve been together for over half my life, 17 or 18 years now, so she’s a huge part of my life and always has been,” he said. “She’s always appreciated the role that golf has played in my life. It’s been good to spend a lot of time with her at tournaments.
“I’ve really enjoyed having her on the bag, actually. It hasn’t always translated into me being calmer which I was hoping it would and there have been moments where I have felt quite disappointed in myself for allowing myself to be as angry in front of her or around her as I have been. Jen does help me snap out of that quicker than if she wasn’t there, for sure.
“I intend to have her caddie for me as much as I can this year because I don’t think it’s been detrimental to my game at all and we enjoy each other’s company.”
Next week Pepperell will head to Burnham and Berrow for Final Qualifying for The Open Championship as he bids to play on the biggest stage of them all for the first time since it was last staged at Royal Portrush in 2019.
But between now and the end of the season, his focus will largely be on the HotelPlanner Tour, a circuit he knows all about having won on and graduated from it in 2012.
“I’ve played five tournaments this year on the HotelPlanner Tour and the aspects that I've found really quite helpful are the quiet nature of the weeks,” he said. “It really enables you just to stay in your own process and practise the way you want to practise.
“Also just having no nerves or anxiety about playing the game again which, when you’re trying to rediscover some form and look to build better form, that can be a nice place to be because you’re never going to allow your nerves or your anxiety or your psychology to get in the way of that progress.
“That is going to come if you do make those steps forward, I know it, but I think it’s important to put the building blocks in place first and I think this Tour does enable somebody like me at the moment to at least do that, I’ve just struggled a bit to do it. There have been signs and I’m hopeful it will still happen.
“I’m still invested, I still want to do well and I’m going to give the rest of this year certainly everything that I feel like I can and we’ll just see where I land some time in October or November.”
