Blot Play9

Eddie Pepperell opens up about his struggles both on and off the course. He shares what keeps him motivated, talks about life on the road, and how he’s now better prepared than ever to contend again this season. Meanwhile, James Morrison secures a dramatic playoff victory at the Blot Play9, his first title in over a decade.

Heat. Heat. the last 5 years on the golf course is me feeling mostly frustrated. I really had had enough. Just didn’t want to get out of bed. None of us are immune to the effects of stress. There’s a big part of me that would just love to call it a day now and and move on to other things. Yeah, I’m feeling good. I’ve had a nice break and I think I needed it. I just played a lot of golf, not just this year, but uh at the end of last year, I think it just taken its toll a little bit and um hadn’t played that well generally. I was feeling quite frustrated on the course and that culminated in me just ending up walking off in Turkey. So I I I knew that I think I knew before Turkey, but I certainly knew when I was uh heading off the course in a buggy in Turkey that yeah, I’m not going to see a golf course for a little while. And it’s been nice just to get back home and had a lovely trip up to Sky in Scotland with Jen and the dogs actually, which was probably one of the nicest trips I’ve ever been on. I’ve done a bit of golf, but not too much really. and um just relax, try to get a bit bit healthier so that when I do return to competition as I am this week, then at least I feel as though I’ve put in place some good habits that I can at least stick to and uh give me a sense of control away from what is, you know, continues to be probably quite a chaotic environment for me on the golf course. There is so much to play for now. Irrespective of where you are on the ladder, whether you’re where I am right now or DP World Tour trying to chase for a PJ tour guard or PGA Tour player trying to ensure you stay in the top 50, there’s a lot to be pushing for and I do think we’re seeing some of the remnants and the fallout of that across a number of different players. um players are pushing hard and you in a game like golf where it’s a long long career I think you’re you know that’s um that’s a recipe for trouble at some point a constant presence throughout the last few years has been Eddie’s wife Jennifer and this season she’s become part of team Pil on the course Jen you know I’ve been married to Jen not that long but we’ve been together for over half my life 17 18 years now so um she’s a huge part of my life and always has been and has always appreciated the role that golf has played in my life. It’s been good to spend a lot of time with her at tournaments. Obviously, I’ve really enjoyed having her on the bag. Actually, I it hasn’t always translated into me being calmer, which I was hoping it it would, and there have been moments where I felt quite disappointed in myself for allowing myself to be as angry in in front of her or around her than I have been. But Jen does help me snap out of that quicker than I think if she wasn’t there, for sure. I intend to have a caddy for me as much as I can this year really because I I don’t think it’s been detrimental to my game at all and we enjoy each other’s company. So yeah, I mean I played five tournaments this year I think on the Hotel Planet Tour and the aspects of it that I found really quite helpful are the quiet nature of the weeks. It really enables you just to stay in your own process and practice the way you want to practice and do all these things. But also just having very little I would say no nerves or anxiety about playing the game again, which I think when you’re trying to rediscover some form and look to build better form, that can be a nice place to be because you’re never going to really allow your your nerves or your anxiety or your psychology to kind of get in the way of that progress. That’s going to come if you do make those steps forward. I know it. But um I think it’s important to put the building blocks in place first and I think this tour does enable somebody like me at the moment to at least do that. I’ve just just struggled a bit to do it. But uh you know there have been signs and I’m hopeful it will still happen this week for example and next week coming with Jen staying in nice places you know trying to actually enjoy the week. I’m still invested. I I still want to do well. Um, I’m going to give the rest of this year certainly everything that I feel like I I can and uh and we’ll just see where I land sometime in October, November. While Eddie and the Hotel Planet Tour were in France for the first of back-to-back events in the country with the 18th edition of the Blow Plane 9 taking place at Golf Blue Green Deleno Felandra, it’s widely regarded as one of the best and most scenic courses in Britany with breathtaking views along the coastline. The blowplane 9 has been part of the hotel plan schedule since 2007 and golf blue green delandra has consistently provided a formidable test for the players. There’s been an impressive list of past winners of the tournament including back in 2012 when one Eddie Pil picked up his maiden professional title. It was the first event that I played on the challenge tour that year from memory. I needed something good to happen. I had a really low category on the tour. I wasn’t going to get that many starts. This these opportunities aren’t going to come around very much this very often this year. So, take it with both hands. And I did that and it was it was good. Well, 13 years on and Peprol would start the week in a three ball consisting of last week’s winner Palmer Jackson and one of the home favorites Claymon Shasaur, winner of the challenge day espania in May, but it was far from the start Eddie was hoping for. Measuring just under 300 m, the par 410th got the better of the Oxford man. He opened up with a triple bogey 7. Showing tremendous resilience, Eddie bounced back straight away with a birdie at the par 511th and then had the chance to grab another at the par 313th. No mistake and back to just one over. Another shot went on 14 before he produced a moment of magic at the 16th. But after that, the bird is dried up and was soon replaced by drop shots, four in total on his back nine. Eddie would eventually tap in for a 75, leaving himself with rather a lot of work to do on Friday. I hit some good iron shots. I put some new irons in the bag and uh I could there was definitely a couple of shots out there where I I could sense, feel, and see the difference. So, um you know, that’s that’s the positive. And uh and I think I need to spend more time on the golf course. You know that it’s not ideal to have days like today, but I’ve played once in 6 weeks, so you know, you’re not going to learn much when you as play playing as infrequently as I have done. So, that’s why I’m not overly uh you know, down about today. At the business end, meanwhile, the day belonged to Max Kennedy. The 23-year-old Irishman produced one of the rounds of the year. Six birdies, two Eagles, and no drop shots, adding up to a 10 under par round of 60. Four shots better than his nearest challenger. Obviously, a very nice round. didn’t miss a whole lot of shots. Um, and it was even nicer, you know, save a good par on the last. Obviously, it would have been nice to give myself a chance on the last for 59, but still take a 60. I had my best finish last week on the on the Hotel Planet Tour, T11 in um in in check. So, my game’s definitely going in the right direction, and I’m really comfortable where I’m at. Early Friday morning and day two of not just the tournament, but also of Eddie Pil’s comeback to competitive golf after his layoff. Looking for a fresh start after the previous day’s frustrations, Pil started steadily, but soon found himself up against it once more. After starting with five straight pars, a dropped shot on the sixth provided a further test of patience. But it didn’t take long to get that shot back. His first birdie of round two at the seventh took him back to level par for the day. A bogey at 9 saw him out in 36. Any chance of making the weekend had long disappeared. Though there were some glimpses of the form that saw Eddie win twice on the DP World Tour. However, moments like that were few and far between. He would finish with a birdie, but the damage had been done. A second round of 72, an improvement from his opening day. And with that first event back under his belt, it was time to reflect. Bad yesterday, I would say. Today, I felt like I played all right, quite well. It was tough early doors especially. It was it was it was tough conditions and uh hit a lot of quite nice shots, I thought, but um yeah, wasn’t to be. Uh, but I felt like it was a step in the right direction and and I was I was calmer on the course, which is which is a good thing. I know I mentioned that earlier on in the week. So, I felt like that carried over nicely onto the course. So, yeah, I expectations are low and I I didn’t exceed them, but uh something to build on. Elsewhere, another experienced Englishman on a similar comeback journey, James Morrison, was fairing rather better and led the way after day two. Like Pil, the 40-year-old has tasted success on the DP World Tour and followed up at Day 64 with a bogey freeze 66 to open up a threeshot lead heading into the weekend. Coming up, we go inside the ropes as the wannabes were given an opportunity to beat the pro. And we’ll find out who emerged as numero ern at the blow play nine. All coming up after the break. Welcome back to the hotel planner with the blowplane 9 at the deceptively demanding golf blue green deenerandra. Experience had proved the key for 40-year-old James Morrison. Three shots clear two rounds in with Max Kennedy tied third after an incredible 16-sh shot swing across days one and two. Chasing his first win in 10 years, Morrison would need to hold his nerve with his rivals lying in weight on moving day, watched by Kit Alexander. Frenchman Robin Coree finished tied fourth here back in 2019. And the left-hander rolled this birdie putt in at the sixth to move to minus three and get within six of the lead. James Morrison dropped a shot at the third and he missed the sixth in regulation as well. This lovely recovery enabled him to save par though and the man who’s missed six of seven cuts on the hotel planetour this year stayed four clear. Max Kennedy had just gone birdie birdie bogey before pouring this one in for eagle at the par five seventh and that moved him within two of Morrison. At the same hole, the Englishman again exhibited his short game skills, releasing this one beautifully down the slope. He would hold that for his first birdie of the day and get the lead back to three. Kennedy needed to attack and that’s exactly what he did with this approach on the ninth. It hit the pin. He would hold that birdie putt to be out in 31, but he came home in 37 for a 68. Morrison found himself in trouble at the start of the back nine. A chat with the ref here on 10 that led to a bogey. Two more at 12 and 13. He birdied 15 but his lead evaporated with a double at 16. Meanwhile, Oan Gil Mondi was minus two for the day. He would make birdie here at the 13th and signed for a one underpass 69. James Morrison finished off with a couple of pars for a tough 74 that dropped him to six under par. Yes. A look at the leaderboard heading into Sunday’s finale. And the French duo of Co and Gia Mundig were well placed to make a home charge. Both within two shots of joint leaders, the rookie Kennedy and the seasoned veteran Morrison relishing being back in the mix. You drink ASAP. I guess you you love to shoot better better at score than that, but plus four. I guess it’s near level par today, I’d imagine. I haven’t seen the scores and just finished, but going by my other two playing parts, we had a 10 over and an eight over I think in our group. So, it’s just brutal. I mean I mean the TD said in there basically it’s the US Open Hotel Planet Tour golf. He’s about bang on really cuz it was really really difficult. I’m covered in muck. Everything’s everything’s hurting. My head’s hurting. It’s just a brutally tough day. And um I’ve been struggling for a few years now mentally and actually I’m more proud of myself to be to where I am today. I mean, win or lose tomorrow, I really couldn’t really couldn’t care less. The fact that I’m back playing some decent golf again, I’m enjoying my golf again is the most important thing. And if I shoot 85 or 65 tomorrow, I’m going to give it my best. While away from the main business, a handful of potential stars of the future experienced playing a whole in tournament conditions. The brave few took on the par 31 13th in the annual beat the pro initiative. I’m Guiam. I come from Rome and I taking on to beat the pro. Hello, my name is Ari. I come from Samo. I training to be the pro. Nice. So, back to the final round of the blow plane nine. The strong winds had eased off slightly come Sunday, but who would take advantage and seize the day? James Morrison gave himself plenty of work to do to save his par at the opening hole, but he held that beauty up the slope and the twotime DP World Tour winner stayed at minus 6. Brilliant T-shot at the second and Morrison matched it with the second shot downwind nearly holding it but he would tap in for a first birdie of the day to go to seven under par. Daniel Young was making a stunning charge through the field with two eagles and three birdies in his first 11 holes. And this birdie at the 12th took him to eight under for the day and within three shots of Morrison and Kennedy. Cio Seagree had a bogey bogey start. This approach got better and better and would make the birdie at the fourth. Unfortunately, he would slide out of contention though. 23-year-old Kennedy started with three pars and the Irishman made this excellent save at the fourth to keep pace with Morrison. now to the fifth and he got his first red number of the day courtesy of this wonderful putt. He also picked up shots at the sixth, 9inth and 11th holes. Young continued to push with more birdies at the 13th and 15th and part in from there to tie Kennedy’s course record of 60 and post the clubhouse lead at minus five. Morrison completed the front nine in a level path 35 strokes and he built some momentum with backto- back birdies to start the back nine. This excellent third shot at the par five 11th helped him move to eight under par but he would bogey 16. Kennedy also took a step back with a drop shot at the 12th, but this vital pass save at 14 kept him one shot ahead of Morrison. But like the Englishman, he also bogeied 16. The pair both parad 17 and a Morrison bogey at the last meant Kennedy had this bogey putt for the win. It just burnt the edge. So we were headed for extra holes. Well, that fabulous course record equaling 60 saw Young climb 30 places into solo third, just a shot behind Kennedy and Morrison, who now faced a playoff. Good luck. The pair headed back down the 18th for the sudden death playoff. Not good memories from regulation, but one of them was going to get their hands on the trophy. Morrison was in the greenside bunker in two shots, but he played this beauty to leave himself a good chance for the par four. Once again, his short game coming to the four. Kennedy could only make a five. And Morrison converted the sand for a first win in over a decade. And after more than two years without a top 10 and a tough start on his return to the Hotel Planet Tour, it could prove to be a careers victory. And you’ve had your mental struggles recently. Uh just how proud are you managed to grind out win? Don’t ask me the emotional questions, please. Um, yeah, I’m very proud. Yeah, very proud. All I think about my first beer after this, all I’m thinking about, but um, yeah, I guess it puts me in greatstead. I don’t know. I don’t know where I was. I’ve only made one cut before today. So, and that’s 24 position in Spain. But, um, like I said, the golf hasn’t been the issue. It’s been it’s been between my ears and I’ve been here physically, but not been here mentally. So, it’s been very hard for me and my family, but we’re doing it. So huge congratulations to an understandably emotional James Morrison, a well-deserved and hugely popular winner. There’s no change at the top on the road to Morca rankings. Two-time winners Paratoré and Van clear of the English duo of Berry and Rutherford with David Law moving up one spot to ninth. Further down and the top two in France made big strides up the standings. Morrison’s win sees him climb 153 places to 19th, whilst Max Kennedy rises 52 spots to sit in 20th position. And with that, we part ways with Penerf after another dramatic finale and James Morrison’s long- awaited return to the winner circle. A 4-hour drive east across France takes us to Lavodroy Golf Challenge next time as the pursuit of promotion to the DP World Tour continues.