Eddie Pepperell (centre) of England receiving the winner’s cheque from officials during the awards ceremony at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters golf tournament at the Doha Golf Club in Doha, yesterday.
Doha: England’s Eddie Pepperell held his nerve over the closing stages to claim his first European Tour victory at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
The 27-year-old carded a final round 70 at Doha Golf Club here yesterday to fend off fellow Englishman and friend Oliver Fisher by a single stroke and collect the winners’ cheque of $291,660.
Pepperell and Fisher were tied for the lead going into the final round, with the former making a steady start by posting eight straight pars.
However, playing partner Fisher could only reach the turn in a three-over-par 39, following three successive bogies from the fourth - which left him four shots adrift halfway through the round.
But back came the 29-year-old Londoner with five birdies on the back nine and, when he stood on the final tee, was just one stroke behind his compatriot.
Fisher could have forced a play-off at Doha Golf Club but missed a birdie putt from 10 feet on the 18th.
At the closing 589-yard, par-five 18th, both reached the green in three shots, with Pepperell 25 feet from the pin, while Fisher was just over three yards away.
The Englishman entered the final day at Doha Golf Club level with his compatriot at the top of the leaderboard and while he opened up a three-shot lead at the turn, an impressive fightback by Fisher meant the pair were separated by a just single stroke as they went up the par five last.
It was advantage Fisher after two shots with Pepperell in the rough after both men laid-up but the 27 year old hit an excellent third to set up a par which his playing partner could only match.
Pepperell’s closing round of 70 got him to 18 under, with Fisher signing for a 71, one shot back, and Swede Marcus Kinhult finishing at 16 under after a 68. Spanish duo Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño and Pablo Larrazábal, Frenchman Grégory Havret and Italian Renato Paratore tied fourth at 15 under.
“What a day,” said Pepperell after receiving the iconic Pearl Trophy for winning his maiden European Tour title in his 129th appearance on the European Tour which saw him rocket from 188th to 13th in the season-long rankings. “Oli made it really tough and I made it tough for myself at the end there with the second shot at 18.
“I felt good all day, I felt comfortable. I didn’t feel that comfortable with my swing but I was in a great place mentally and I kept telling myself that I’m going to win this.
“Oli certainly made life more interesting. Relief is the number one emotion as is always the case with a win, although I haven’t had many.
The victory was just reward for Pepperell’s mental fortitude and hard work after fighting back from losing his Tour card and returning to Q-School in 2016.
“This will give me confidence,” he said.
“When you win, you know you can win. I’ve always felt and believed I will win out here but it hadn’t happened before today. You’ve always got to take that step and that’s uneasy but at some point in everyone’s career they’ve got to do something for the first time. Hopefully this is not my last.”
Pepperell won the ALLIANZ Open Côtes d’Armor Bretagne en route to graduating from the Challenge Tour in 2012 and then enjoyed three consistent seasons but before losing his card, leading to a successful trip Q-School to regain it immediately.
His bounceback season was a triumph, securing four top fives and three top tens from his last ten events in 2017 before a slow start to the current season saw him miss cuts in his first two outings before signs of improvement at last week’s NBO Oman Open.
For Fisher, it is a first top three since the 2014 Africa Open but he will have to wait a little longer to add to his 2011 Czech Open title despite taking confidence for the way he finished his round, coming home in 32 blows after a forgettable front nine of 39. It was Fisher’s first top-three finish since the 2014 Africa Open and he will have to wait a little longer to add to his 2011 Czech Open title.
Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult took third place after finishing at 16-under with 68 in the final round, one stroke ahead of Spanish duo Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Pablo Larrazabal, Frenchman Gregory Havret and Italian Renato Paratore. South African George Coetzee and German Sebastian Heisele finished the week at 14-under, a shot clear of England’s Matthew Baldwin, Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vera and Adrian Otaegui of Spain.
Meanwhile Englishman Josh White of the MENA Golf Tour, who qualified through winning the Professional Division of the Qatar Open, shot a final round 75 for a four round score of four under par to finish in tied 61st position alongside two time Commercial Bank Qatar Masters champion Paul Lawrie (Scotland), former Ryder Cup player David Howell (England) and six other players.
