PEPPERELL LIFTS THE PEARL AFTER DRAMATIC COMMERCIAL BANK QATAR MASTERS TRIUMPH

PEPPERELL LIFTS THE PEARL AFTER DRAMATIC COMMERCIAL BANK QATAR MASTERS TRIUMPH

Doha, Qatar: Eddie Pepperell held off the challenge of good friend Oliver Fisher to win his first European Tour title after a thrilling conclusion to the 21^st Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

The Englishman entered the final day at Doha Golf Club level with his compatriot at the top of the leaderboard and while he opened up a three-shot lead at the turn, an impressive fightback by Fisher meant the pair were separated by a just single stroke as they went up the par five last.

It was advantage Fisher after two shots with Pepperell in the rough after both men laid-up but the 27 year old hit an excellent third to set up a par which his playing partner could only match.

Pepperell's closing round of 70 got him to 18 under, with Fisher signing for a 71, one shot back, and Swede Marcus Kinhult finishing at 16 under after a 68. Spanish duo Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño and Pablo Larrazábal, Frenchman Grégory Havret and Italian Renato Paratore tied fourth at 15 under.

"What a day,” said Pepperell after receiving the iconic Pearl Trophy for winning his maiden European Tour title in his 129^th appearance on the European Tour which saw him rocket from 188^th to 13^th in the season-long rankings. “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.

"Oli certainly made life more interesting. Relief is the number one emotion as is always the case with a win, although I haven't had many.

The victory was just reward for Pepperell’s mental fortitude and hard work after fighting back from losing his Tour card and returning to Q-School in 2016.

"This will give me confidence,” he said. “When you win, you know you can win. I've always felt and believed I will win out here but it hadn't happened before today. You've always got to take that step and that's uneasy but at some point in everyone's career they've got to do something for the first time. Hopefully this is not my last.”

Pepperell won the ALLIANZ Open Côtes d'Armor Bretagne en route to graduating from the Challenge Tour in 2012 and then enjoyed three consistent seasons but before losing his card, leading to a successful trip Q-School to regain it immediately.

His bounceback season was a triumph, securing four top fives and three top tens from his last ten events in 2017 before a slow start to the current season saw him miss cuts in his first two outings before signs of improvement at last week’s NBO Oman Open.

"The last nine months have been great. The start of the season's been a little bit sloppy, haven't really had my game in a good spot. I worked with somebody slightly different this week and it made a nice difference. I found it a little easier out there today to go and trust the feeling that I had.

For Fisher, it is a first top three since the 2014 Africa Open but he will have to wait a little longer to add to his 2011 Czech Open title despite taking confidence for the way he finished his round, coming home in 32 blows after a forgettable front nine of 39.

“It went all the way to the last hole which, after my front nine, was what I was hoping for on the back nine,” he said. “I hit a lot of good shots coming down the back nine and gave myself a lot of good chances, but there were just too many bogeys today – four in total – so you’re never going to win a tournament making that many mistakes on a Sunday. But at least I pressed him all the way.”

Pepperell started his round with eight straight pars and that was good enough to hand him a three-shot lead as Fisher made a hat-trick of bogeys from the fourth.

The bad run started with a three-putt from 20 feet before he hit a poor tee-shot on the fifth and failed to get on in regulation, and then failed to find the green again with his second on the next.

Paratore was the man to cut the lead to two as he charged through the field, making a hat-trick of birdies from the tenth after turning in 35 to sit three off the lead before rolling a slippery one down the hill on the 14th.

Fernandez-Castaño had also turned in 35 and he took advantage of the par five tenth before chipping in from a tricky lie at the 11th to join Paratore, but they were soon three back as Pepperell broke his run of pars with a textbook birdie after laying up on the par five ninth.

The gap was back at two after a long Fernandez-Castaño putt on the 12th but Pepperell made another picture-perfect birdie on the tenth before Paratore birdied the last to set the target at 15 under.

Pepperell made an early contender for bogey of the season on the 12th on Saturday when he chipped in after hitting the rocks three times and he made another five in round four, although this time he hit the rocks once with his second and failed to get up and down.

The group at 15 under then started to swell, as Fisher made birdies on the tenth and 12th before dropping a shot after a plugged lie on the next but regaining it on the 14th

Larrazábal made a birdie on the first and had been just two back after an eagle on the tenth. He bogeyed the 15th but then made back-to-back birdies on the 16th and 17th.

Kinhult turned in level par but he picked up shots on the tenth, 13th and 16th and the group in second was now a pack of five.

That was just two shots back when Pepperell hit a poor tee-shot on the 15th and had to lay-up on the par four, with Fernandez-Castaño and Larrazábal both parring the last to finish at 15 under.

An excellent tee-shot on the 17th helped move Havret to that mark after he had turned in 36 but made gains on the tenth and 14th, and he stayed there after a closing par, with playing partner Kinhult making a birdie to set the target at 16 under.

Pepperell spun an an excellent approach into the 16th to bring a birdie and a fist-pumping celebration but Fisher followed him in after a nice approach of his own and a tee-shot to tap-in range on the next meant the gap was one heading up the last.

South African George Coetzee and German Sebastian Heisele finished at 14 under, a shot clear of England's Matthew Baldwin, Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vera and Spain's Adrian Otaegui.

Meanwhile Englishman Josh White of the MENA Golf Tour, who qualified through winning the Professional Division of the Qatar Open, shot a final round 75 for a four-round score of four under par to finish in tied 61^st position alongside two time Commercial Bank Qatar Masters champion Paul Lawrie (Scotland), former Ryder Cup player David Howell (England) and six other players.

Beijing games skeet gold winner Chiara Cainero tops in Qatar

Beijing games skeet gold winner Chiara Cainero tops in Qatar

Olympic champions Chiara Cainero and Diana Bacosi continued the Italian domination at the Qatar Open Shotgun Championship by winning the first and third place at the Losail Shooting Range.

France’s Lucie Anastassiou, however, upset the best of the plans of the two Italian of having a repeat of the Rio Olympic Games Skeet podium finish in Qatar, where they finished in the first two positions.

Yesterday, the 25-year-old from La Rochelle stood between Cainero and Bacosi to clinch the silver medal in Doha and prevent an Italian 1-2 at the event.

At the 2016 Olympic Games in the Brazilian city, the Italians made the first two places their own and they gave enough indications in Qatar that they meant business but Anastassiou proved to be a stumbling block in the end.

Beijing Olympic Games winner and Rio silver medal winner Cainero took the first place while compatriot Bacosi, gold medal winner at the Rio Games took the bronze as the Italians continued their domination in Doha.

 On the concluding day of the nine-day championship hosted by Qatar Shooting and Archery Association (QSSA) 39-year-old Cainero overcame the stiff challenge of Anastassiou to collect the $7,000 cash prize.

The 34-year-old Bacosi pushed the 2016 Qatar winner, Amber Hill of England to the fourth spot.

On Monday, Italian men made a clean sweep at the Double Trap making it 1-2-3.

Cainero was delighted to finish on the podium along with Bacosi.

“It was difficult because of the wind but I am happy I featured in the final along with another Olympic champion and teammate (Bacosi) we are used to finishing on the podium,” she said while talking to reporters here yesterday.

The four-time Olympian praised the facilities at Losail.

“It is always a nice experience to start the season in Qatar. The facilities are excellent. The Losail Shooting Range is same as any Olympic Shooting ranges you will find in any part of the world. It is one of the best. We love to compete here and the weather here is fantastic as it is winter in Italy at this time of the year,” who has been a regular at the shotgun event.

“I first took part in an event in 2006, that is many years back and I was very young,” she recalled.

Cainero said she will taking part in an event in Korea and the training and tournament will serve as an ideal preparation of the season ahead.

“I am happy with my form and the training we had here,” she added.

Anastassiou was happy to finish on the podium along with two Olympic champions.

“The competition was tough and I happy that I had the privilege to share the podium with two Olympic champions.”

Hill, who was aiming to lay hands on the winners cheque, like she did two years back found the going tough.

“It was strong field with two Olympic champions. But I am happy with my performance. Although I was aiming to make a repeat of 2016, when I won the event. 

But, overall, I am happy with my performance and the result,” said the 20-year-old.

Meanwhile in the men’s section, 26-year-old Jakub Tomacek of Czech Republic topped in the Skeet event followed by Jesper Hansen of Denmark. 2008 Olympic Games bronze medal winner Anthony Terras of France finished third.

Badminton never stops for Filipinos in Qatar

Petra Kvitova wins Qatar Total Open

Kendo..Japanese fencing..takes firm roots in Qatar

A visit to Qatar Tennis Federation boutique in Doha

Tennis stars storm Doha for Qatar Total Open