Eddie Pepperell Disqualified For Running Out Of Balls

The Englishman had his own Tin Cup moment during the Turkish Airlines Open

Eddie Pepperell Disqualified For Running Out Of Balls

The Englishman had his own Tin Cup moment during the Turkish Airlines Open

Eddie Pepperell Disqualified For Running Out Of Balls

Eddie Pepperell saw himself disqualified from the Turkish Airlines Open after a very unique incident.

The Englishman was playing his third round when he reached the par-5 fourth hole, having started on the back nine, when disaster struck.

Pepperell had just come off of back-to-back bogeys and then hit his ball into the water on the 4th hole before hitting another four or five more in the drink.

He was officially disqualified for "failure to complete a hole."

Despite running out of golf balls, players can ask fellow competitors to borrow a ball, something Pepperell opted not to do.

He was level par at the time and would have likely dropped to last place had he completed the hole anyway.

European Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington also struggled with the 4th hole after making a 10 earlier in the week.

“I ran out of golf balls, it was literally that,” Pepperell said.

“It’s not happened before, at least not to me.

“I don’t know exactly [how many golf balls he lost] but it was a good few.

"I lost a few when going round, I know that, and then I ran out.”

Pepperell's playing partner Martin Kaymer described it as a real life Tin Cup moment.

"Eddie hit his shots to the green then came over to tell us he had run out of balls," the German said.

"Then he walked off. I thought he lost four or five.

"We are about 80% sure it was five, 20% four.

"He was quick, so it was hard to keep track.

"He did not ask if he could borrow one from me or George [Coetzee].

"It did not look like he wanted to play.

"He did not putt with his putter on the third hole; he putted with a wedge.

"So there was a lot happening.

“I have watched the movie ‘Tin Cup’ on TV but now I’ve seen it live."

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Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV