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Eddie Pepperell wins Qatar Masters, delights Twitter following

By Mike Randleman

DOHA, QATAR - FEBRUARY 25: Eddie Pepperell of England poses with the trophy following his victory during the final round of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club on February 25, 2018 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)
DOHA, QATAR - FEBRUARY 25: Eddie Pepperell of England poses with the trophy following his victory during the final round of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club on February 25, 2018 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images) /
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Eddie Pepperell fought off nerves at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters to claim his first European Tour victory on Sunday.

Eddie Pepperell might finally get his blue check mark after all.

The Englishman’s got more than 21 thousand followers on his (still unverified) Twitter account, thanks to his engaging humor and unrelenting honesty. That number’s sure to grow after the 27-year-old Englishman claimed his first European Tour victory Sunday at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

The former highly touted amateur showed his potential as a pro in his 129th career start. Pepperell co-led after 18 holes and remained in the mix for all 72 holes.

Pepperell’s not one of the longer hitters, but he made sure to be sharp in all other facets en route to an 18-under total score. That was good enough to win by one over countryman Oliver Fisher, who shared the 54-hole lead with Pepperell.

Surprising by modern golf standards, Pepperell finished 75th out of 75 in driving distance (267.8) this week. Still, that was partially by design, as he deferred to his trusty 3-wood to finish second in fairways hit (67.9 percent) and get to spots he could spin the ball from.

At the unimposing Doha Golf Club, world No. 154 Pepperell leaned on his reliable iron play to finish 11th in greens in regulation. He wasn’t as sharp in a Sunday 70 as he was in three prior rounds in the 60s, but Pepperell played cerebral golf to get to the finish line.

"“I didn’t feel totally comfortable with my swing so that forced me to play a little bit more conservatively on certain  holes with certain pin positions. My course management was very good,” Pepperell said in his post-tournament press conference. “…That was a bit of an ugly win and I’m quite proud of that.”More from Pro Golf NowGolf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning dealFantasy Golf: Grant Thornton Invitational DFS Player SelectionsBrutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at ConcessionFantasy Golf: An Early Look at the 2024 Masters Tournament"

Nerves and all, the champ opened with eight straight pars and birdied No. 9 to go ahead by four of Fisher who went out in three-over-39 thanks to bogeys on 4-6.

Pepperell stuck to his game plan on the back nine that resulted in two birdies and a bogey against six pars. Fisher went for broke on the inward half and carded five birdies against one bogey.

The two went to the par-5 18th with Pepperell up by one on Fisher and two on Marcus Kinhult in the clubhouse.

Neither could get home in two as Pepperell laid up from the rough and made a comfortable par. Fisher couldn’t wedge it close and missed his crucial birdie putt.

All atwitter about the win

Few golfers maintain an active and authentic social media presence like Pepperell. Through the highs (six top-10s as a rookie in 2014) and the lows (losing his card in ’16), he’s cracked jokes all the way through.

He’ll “@” any and all on the social medium, but forgive him if he’s a little behind on his DMs for the time being.

Other players might have a nice Twitter game, but how often are they making whiffle ball golf videos from their hotel room on the week of the tournament?

I’ll hang up and listen.

Fisher still fishing for second win

World No. 369 Oliver Fisher, 29, picked up his fifth career runner-up finish and first since 2014.

He showed he’s talented enough to win again for the first time since 2011 while knowing his mistake-riddled Sunday needs some cleaning up.

“I hit a lot of good shots coming down the back nine and gave myself a lot of good chances but there were just too many bogeys today – four in total – so you’re never going to win a tournament making that many mistakes on a Sunday,” Fisher said in his post-round presser. “But at least I pressed him all the way.”

Next: New World Handicap System has one major drawback

Chip shots

  • The 21-year-old Marcus Kinhult of Sweden posted a career-high finish in third place which was his third top-20 in a row.
  • Seven players, including Pepperell in round one, matched the low round of the tournament, a seven-under 65.
  • Not often does the week’s greens in regulation leader finish tied for 34th. Lorenzo Gagli did just that this week, hitting a tournament-best 86.1 percent of greens, only to finish third-to-last with 31.3 putts per round.
  • Pepperell won for the first time since his 2012 Challenge Tour victory at the Allianz Open Cotes d’Armor Bretagne. He lost in a playoff on the Europen Tour at the 2015 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open
  • The European Tour continues March 1-4 at the Tshwane Open at Pretori Country Club in Waterkloof, South Africa. It will be opposite the WGC-Mexico Championship, a European Tour and PGA Tour co-sanctioned event.
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