BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

October 8, 2020

Eddie Pepperell

Wentworth Golf Club

Press Conference

EDDIE PEPPERELL: I hit the starter's hut in the East Course off the first tee, I think it's the East Course. Made a chip-in for par.

Hit a good shot into 2.

Snap-hooked my tee shot into 3. Made a great bogey, and I had no idea what I was doing. It was awful, going everywhere off the tee, and I made two birdies. I snap-hooked two more tee shots.

How I was under par after six, seven, eight holes, I have no idea. My short game was unbelievable. My iron play was brilliant and I actually missed a couple of birdie opportunities. My short game and iron play was just like sensational. And then I found my drill, kind of I did a slightly different drill which gave me a different feeling which was very, very difficult to trust. But I must say I hit two great shots on 15 and 17, which I think were the only two tee shots coming in which could have undone me the way I was from the fairway, I was playing so well.

I mean, definitely the best 5-under I've ever shot on Tour for sure.

Q. How often do you have a round of that kind of nature?

EDDIE PEPPERELL: So rare. So rare. I mean, the strange thing about the beginning is, I wasn't even nervous. They were committed swings. And I sort of said to Mick, I was like, well, if they were nervy, I want stand here, but they weren't nervy swings and they were horrendous shots. I was like, well, I don't know what that means.

So my short game just -- yeah, I don't know. I think I carried on from last week in the scoring sense which is really nice because I haven't been doing that at all. It was a very rare round of golf. I'm interested to see the stats.

Q. Because it would be easy, I would have thought, to let it slip, and when you've got the situation of no crowds and that sort of thing, it is a different feel to things. One way or another, you got it done.

EDDIE PEPPERELL: Yeah, I did. The thing with this course is crowds or not, it's always fighting me and it makes you focus, so narrow. You miss the noise.

But yeah, still, you have to focus because, well, I don't know -- didn't really have much success apart from my rookie year, but it's such a difficult course and it's playing so long. I didn't hit my driver after the third hole because I was like, I didn't know where it was going to go. I was playing holes like 9, 13, it was super long.

But I had no choice. I played a very smart round, and if I can do that for three more days, the feeling I've had, the way I'm doing things, I don't know, I could surprise myself and make a lot of birdies this week, which would be nice.