Pepperell holds off Fisher for maiden win in Qatar

Eddie Pepperell held off fellow Englishman Oliver Fisher to claim his first European Tour victory in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

Pepperell holds off Fisher for maiden win in Qatar

Eddie Pepperell fired a final round of 70 in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters to finish on a four-round total of 18-under-par, one clear of Oliver Fisher.

Pepperell and Fisher began the final day tied at the top of the leaderboard in Doha but Pepperell moved clear on the front nine. He reached the turn three strokes in front.

But Fisher fought back on the run for home and there was just a shot between them by the time they reached the par-5 last. Fisher looked to have the advantage after two shots on the home hole with Pepperell in the rough but both men ended up making par and the victory went to Pepperell.

In his 129th European Tour start, Pepperell has now secured his first victory on the circuit.

Eddie Pepperell plays from the sand

“What a day,” he said. “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. This will give me great confidence.”

The victory marks the culmination of a fine return to form from Pepperell. He lost his playing privileges in 2016 and had to go back to Q school to regain his status for 2017. He enjoyed a good season in 2017 with four top-five finishes and he now has a victory to add to his CV.

Oliver Fisher has also been out of the limelight recently and, although he will be disappointed to fall just short of securing a second Tour victory, he can console himself with the fact that this was his first top-three finish since the Africa Open of 2014.

Marcus Kinhult of Sweden ended the week alone in third place with Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Gregory Havret, Pablo Larrazabal and Renato Paratore tied fourth.

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano regained his European Tour card through Q-school and the seven-time European Tour winner was delighted to be back in contention on the circuit.

“I made the effort last year of coming back to School and definitely it’s paying off and I’m very happy to be back here and seeing all my friends and enjoying playing back in Europe,” he said.

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano finished tied fourth

Commercial Bank Qatar Masters
Doha GC, Qatar
Feb 22-25
Purse: €1,410,000 Par: 72

1 Eddie Pepperell (Eng) 65 69 66 70 270 €236,315
2 Oliver Fisher (Eng) 66 69 65 71 272 €157,543
3 Marcus Kinhult (Swe) 68 69 67 68 272 €88,762
T4 Gonzalo Fdz-Castano (Esp) 68 68 69 68 273 €55,795
T4 Gregory Havret (Fra) 65 69 70 69 273 €55,795
T4 Pablo Larrazabal (Esp) 68 67 70 68 273 €55,795
T4 Renato Paratore (Ita) 71 66 70 66 273 €55,795
T8 George Coetzee (RSA) 69 66 71 68 274 €33,605
T8 Sebastian Heisele (Ger) 67 68 71 68 274 €33,605
T10 Matthew Baldwin (Eng) 68 70 68 69 275 €26,279
T10 Mike Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 68 68 69 70 275 €26,279
T10 Adrian Otaegui (Esp) 67 66 73 69 275 €26,279

Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage

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