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I think American Julian Suri said it best in his pre-round interview on Sunday: “This is what I expect when I come to the UK.” The 27-year-old was 6-under at the time and would finish on -4 after a final round 74; ranking T5 on a scrappy leaderboard with five of the top eight being Englishmen. The 2018 British Masters well and truly lived up to its name in that it was, when all is said and done, British.
Red-Hot Chilly Pepperell
In his winning speech, Eddie Pepperell described himself as a narcissist. It’s a very English trait, and one that paid dividends in grinding out a win in tough, tough conditions at Walton Heath Golf Club. His form may have been hot, but the weather most definitely was not.
It was cold and windy and, on Sunday, wet. You’ve never seen anybody look quite so miserable en route to winning a European Tour event and more than half a million pounds as Eddie Pepperell on Sunday; moping around the course with his Mizuno umbrella and mittens provided by his mother mid-round. His hole-in-one at the 9th on Thursday is being heralded as one of the greatest ever on the European Tour, and rightly so. He wasn’t the only one to have an outstanding opening round, with four men tied for the lead at -5. However, as the weather deteriorated so did the scorecards for most. Very few sub-par rounds were posted on a windswept Friday, with fans more concerned with keeping hats on heads than watching golf, but Pepperell went 3-under. Matt Wallace’s steady level-par meant he was the nearest challenger at -5. Pepperell moved to -9 on Saturday as the winds eased off a fair bit to allow some more free-flowing golf, but that saw Alexander Bjork, Julien Guerrier, Jordan Smith and Julian Suri all move to -6.
Sweden’s Bjork was the man paired with the leader on Sunday, and he’d have been grateful for his partnership with Galvin Green as the rain poured and temperatures plummeted. The 3-stroke lead was cut to two with a Bjork birdie at the 2nd, followed by birdies from both men on the par-3 fifth. A Pepperell bogey at the 9th meant Bjork was within one at the turn. Pepperell’s drive at the par-4 10th left him with a tricky shot from 122 yards. The Englishman holed-out for his FOURTH eagle of the week. I was lucky enough to be greenside as it dropped, and if Walton Heath had a roof… Well, it wouldn’t anymore. Nobody realised it at the time, but perhaps the most important shot of the tournament was Pepperell’s long putt from off the green to save par at the 14th. He’d go on to bogey the next two holes and be just one clear heading to the 72nd. Bjork closed with a bogey and Pepperell scrambled for par to clinch his second European Tour title and his first on home soil.
The Round-Up
The love for Justin Rose from players and fans was strong heading into the week, and the tournament host once again delivered as a great ambassador for the game. His course of choice- Walton Heath- took a real battering from the elements… As did us spectators. The course hasn’t changed much and definitely hasn’t been redesigned to accommodate a birdie-fest. The -9 final score said it all: this was a proper European Tour event. In fact, do you know the last European Tour event to be won in single-figures? The Open at Carnoustie. Testing, but fair. That’s how it should be.
Being on the course all week gave me a strange sense of patriotic pride. The numbers that turned out to trudge around the heathland landscape despite the weather were remarkable. The fans outlasted the players on Saturday when darkness forced play to finish early, and complaints were few and far between. There were chipping competitions & inflatable obstacle courses courtesy of Bridgestone, a 100ft Putt Challenge for Cancer Research UK and a Titleist Activation Zone in the Championship Village as well as Titleist’s Ultimate Fit on the range and Bridgestone’s “Focus Challenge” beside the 18th. I never once saw any station empty throughout the entire week. Even the food (fish & chips, Cornish Pasties & bacon butties) was so incredibly British.
Eddie Pepperell – What’s in the Bag
Driver: PING G400
3-Wood: Callaway Epic Sub Zero
Irons: Mizuno MP-18 (2-iron), Mizuno JPX 919 Tour (3-9 irons)
Wedges: Mizuno T7
Putter: Bettinardi Studio Stock #8
Golf Ball: Titleist ProV1
Written by Joe Carabini
