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ITALIAN OPEN

October 12, 2017

Eddie Pepperell

Parco Reale di Monza, Italy

Q. You are in a rich vein of form at the moment and played a lot of good rounds of golf. How good was that one?
EDDIE PEPPERELL: It was good. 7-under, same as Sunday. I mean, the last two rounds, 14-under, that's good scoring. My scoring has been good. I think that's probably a product of just nothing being bad on my game. I don't know if that comes across on TV or if I've even been on TV, but that's how I feel. Yeah, game feels just solid, you know.

Q. Two thirds, a fifth and a seventh in last five starts. Was that built at the confidence you gained at the U.S. Open since you played so well there?
EDDIE PEPPERELL: I don't know. I mean, I guess so. That was a top 5 performance compared to fields that I'm used to playing in, put it that way. It was a big one, no doubt. My game is better as well. I'm probably putting a little bit better now than I was back in June even though I'm not playing fantastically well.

I'm putting a bit better and that's just made the difference. Made a lot of good iron shots, gave myself lots of chances. So yeah, that was a big one, as you say.

Confidence is a funny thing, isn't it. I'm not going to try and explain it here or we'll be here all night.

Q. Obviously, last year, you were in a position where you were back in to retain your playing rights. A lot of guys that are here this week are doing that as well. Just compare the pressures that you have been facing recently in contention to that pressure that you faced last year.
EDDIE PEPPERELL: Very different. Obviously there is still pressure here, being out there in contention. It's the kind of the pressure we love. Ultimately, you have got to go out there on the golf course and just get over that and know that the only thing that can stop you -- the only thing that's going to stop me of getting in the way of myself is myself, right?

I'm playing good enough golf, whereas that wasn't the case a year ago. I could have mentally been as strong as anyone and the game just was a mess. I'm glad I'm not there. I'm not playing next week. I'm not going to miss not being at the final event of the year. So yeah, this is our place to be, obviously. I'm glad I'm not there this year. But you never know what the future holds.

Q. 7-under, 64, how good was that?
EDDIE PEPPERELL: 64 good, I guess. Yeah, the conditions were there. No wind, perfect temperature. Ideal golf conditions, put it that way.

It felt a little more relaxed. We had fun as well playing with Nicklaus and Matthew. We all kind of got each other going, I think, on the early part of the round. I carried on the form I have been in and probably putted a little bit better today actually than I have done in the last few events. So that was really nice just to not be missing too many short putts and to be holing them instead. It was a nice change. Even though my results have been good lately, I've been missing some putts. It was a very solid round of golf.

Q. What was particularly pleasing other than the putting over your recent form for the last month or so?
EDDIE PEPPERELL: I think just the consistency throughout my game in terms of shot patterns. I've hit very few shots where I've looked up and been surprised by the start line. I'm a big start line kind of the guy. If I'm starting the ball on line, I feel I can go and play really good golf. When I'm not, when I'm struggling -- generally speaking, particularly with my irons, I'm starting the ball in that quite specific window. I look up and that gives me a lot of confidence. Yeah, just the sheer consistency throughout the game really and that, if that makes sense.

Q. How high is the confidence at the moment?
EDDIE PEPPERELL: It's high. I never know. I try not to think too much about it. I'm one of these guys that I don't know how much I play off confidence. I don't think I play much off confidence, if I'm honest with you. I'm really quite a reactive guy every day. I'm thinking a lot about the game and my swing and just trying to focus hard. I don't really think about going out there and letting it happen. I still have to think, be noncomplacent. Therefore, I think confidence is very high, but I'm not thinking about the confidence too much, again, if that makes any sense.

Q. How close are you to getting one over the line?
EDDIE PEPPERELL: Well, I don't know. I think Portugal was probably the closest I game. I would have had to shot way under par on the final day. The last few results have been good. They have been kind of sneaky, backdoor top-5s. They are nice, obviously, but it's not like I have been right up there in contention leading going into a Sunday and not made it happen. Hopefully I can do that this week.

Listen, I feel like there's nothing stopping me here shooting 66 every day I play this golf course for the next three days. So if I do that, then surely I'm going to have a chance. It's just up to me to do it. There's nothing really in my way. The game is pretty solid. Just knuckle down and keep doing that.

Q. Momentum, how key is that to get off to a quick start?
EDDIE PEPPERELL: Well, I don't know, because last week I didn't. Well, I kind of did and I didn't. I kind of ended up, you know, finishing well. I played in front of Victor Dubuisson last week, and on the first day it looked like he was ready to go home and Sunday he is going home in third place.

This game is funny. You can get on hot spells and hot streaks. And you just don't know when it's going to happen. Yeah, I'm getting under par on the golf course generally early in my rounds. That always helps, settles you down and there's no surprises.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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