Eddie Pepperell runs out of golf balls, is disqualified from Turkish Airlines Open
European Tour

Eddie Pepperell runs out of golf balls, is disqualified from Turkish Airlines Open

A photo of golfer Eddie Pepperell
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Eddie Pepperell was disqualified from the 2019 Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour on Saturday when he ran out of golf balls.

The Englishman was playing in the third round at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal course in Antalya, Turkey, when he found himself in trouble on the par-5 fourth hole. Pepperell was 2 over on the round when he found himself hitting again and again into the pond adjacent to the green. Eventually, Pepperell ran out of golf balls, according to Golf Digest's John Huggan.

It's unclear how many balls Pepperell put into the water.

Under the Rules of Golf, a player is disqualified when they run out of golf balls. A golfer can carry as many golf balls as they wish in their bag. They can borrow balls or acquire them from the pro shop in short order, but under the One Ball Rule played in most high-level golf competitions, Pepperell would have needed to find the same make and model of balls to continue with the round. Ultimately, he didn't, and he was disqualified for "failure to complete a hole." Well, six holes.

Pepperell was playing alongside South African George Coetzee and two-time major winner Martin Kaymer, the latter of which Pepperell beat at the Portugal Masters to win a friendly wager that could lead to the German landing on a United Kingdom celebrity dating show. Kaymer got the better of Pepperell on this day, as he at least finished the round with a 69.

This is the second time this year a player has been disqualified from a major tour for running out of golf balls.

In June, Frenchman Clement Berardo was disqualified from the European Challenge Tour's Andalucia-Costa del Sol Match Play 9 event in Spain for running out of golf balls on the 16th hole of his round.

The Turkish Airlines Open is the first of a string of three events to close the European Tour season. This week featured the top 70 players in the Race to Dubai standings, with increased points on offer in each of these three events to bring the season-long points race to a conclusion. Pepperell began the week No. 41 in the standings, so he will safely move on to next week's Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa, with spots reserved for the top 60 players in the standings.

 

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