Author: Mathieu Wood
Golf is a fickle beast. Confidence is hard-earned and difficult to maintain perspective during difficult times, but it can reward you when you least expect it.
Eddie Pepperell lost all DP World Tour rights at the end of last season and then narrowly missed qualifying school, but he holds the half-time lead at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open Advantages. Christmas may have come early for the popular Brit.
He comes just a week removed from a loss at the Alfred Dunhill Championship, where he had a 12-stroke deficit between rounds.
However, despite his inevitably frustrating start in South Africa, the confidence that marked his second-round 69 appears to have carried over to Mauritius.
Still, he's the first to admit that Mont Choisy Le Golf still has a long way to go.
Eddie Pepperell shares lead with European Challenge Tour graduate Hamish Brown after 36 holes in Mauritius
“[Confidence] It may come faster than it comes back, but as those of us who play the game know, if you’re a good player and you can find something, the confidence comes back pretty quickly,” Pepperell said.
“You have to keep that magic going for as long as possible.
“It's a fickle thing. I always think confidence is the icing and the cherry on the cake, but it's never the cake.
“The more you play golf and the longer you play, the confidence will bloom.”
audience Chip predictionthe podcast he co-hosts with broadcast duo Andrew Cotter and Ian Carter, will know he regained his old swing feel between rounds at Panther Creek.
All in all, it's a slow movement where his right shoulder is pulled forward to cover the ball while he looks to swing the club on plane in the backswing. In his words, it was “Dracula's cloak.”
Will this decision prove to be a brilliant one? You'd be hard-pressed to find a more popular winner this week.
“To be honest, I haven't really felt confident in a while because sometimes a lot of bad stuff happens,” he added after opening with a 66 and shooting a second-round 70. .
“But it’s a challenge for me to overcome this weekend and hopefully what I’m doing will hold up, and certainly a couple of shots off the tee today certainly did that.
“That's what I'm always looking for – if the result is better than you expected. If that's the case then confidence can come back really quickly.”
Pepperell said after Thursday's first-round game that he views this week as a belated honeymoon with wife Jennifer
After an exciting 11-week campaign at the end of last season, the 33-year-old came within one stroke of winning back his spot in Infinitum Golf's final qualifying round. A missed eagle putt on the final hole proved decisive in a six-round marathon in Spain.
So coming back from disappointment and winning for the third time on the DP World Tour, and first since winning twice in 2018, will be quite the story.
With so many opportunities available, most notably exempt status until the end of 2026, having a loving wife in Jennifer may help him embrace the opportunities before him.
“I do think the work I've put into my swing the past few days has definitely paid off,” he said. “Hopefully it’ll stay alive for the weekend.”
