Nailed It

Eddie Pepperell sums up the state of his game in most relatable way imaginable at British Masters

All of us weekend hackers have said the same thing at some point in our golfing lives - "If I just played more, I'd be so much better!" That may be true, but it's difficult to prove when most of us are busy with our real jobs and the barrage of non-golf activities life throws at us.

For tour pros, though, playing more frequently is a schedule-based choice they can often make, and one that can sometimes lead to great stretches of golf. Eddie Pepperell seems to agree with this theory, at least judging by his post-round interview on Thursday at the British Masters. Pepperell, who vaulted into the top five with a four-under 68 at The Belfry, had been playing infrequently in the winter months, and as a result missed consecutive cuts at Abu Dhabi and the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, then tied for 64th after a few weeks off at the Qatar Masters. 

But this week marks the Englishman's fourth straight event, and he's starting to see better results as he's playing more often (T-33, T-12 in his last two). Pepperell perfectly summed up why that's happening on Thursday while daggering himself, of course: 

Sounds like all of us, doesn't it? Who among us hasn't gone a week without playing, only to hope your game shows up when you arrive at the first tee, then subsequently start double-double. By the time you find your swing on the 13th hole, you're already 20 over and your next round isn't for another 10 days. Man, if you could just play more frequently, you say in your useless brain. 

Fortunately for Eddie, he does get to play more frequently and he gets to reap the rewards. At six under, he's in contention to win for the first time since October of 2018, when he won this very event for his second career victory.