Oh Eddie! Englishman DQ’d in Turkey for crazy reason

Eddie Pepperell won’t feature in the final round of the Turkish Airlines Open after being disqualified – for running out of balls during his third round!

The Englishman failed to finish the par-5 fourth hole at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal – his 13th hole of the day after starting at the tenth – after rising multiple approaches into the water. That caused him to exit the tournament prematurely.

Pepperell reportedly didn’t stick around to offer an explanation for his ‘Tin Cup’ moment, so it was left to one of his playing partners, Martin Kaymer, to describe the surreal scene that unfolded on the par-5 fourth.

“Eddie hit his shots to the green, then came over to tell us he had run out of balls,” the former world No.1 told Golf Digest’s John Huggan. “Then he walked off. I thought he lost four or five. We are about 80% sure it was five, 20% four.

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“He was quick, so it was hard to keep track. He did not ask if he could borrow one from me or George [Coetzee, the third man in the group].”

Two-time major winner Kaymer added that “it did not look” like Pepperell – who was two-over for his round at the time of his DQ – was interested in being on the course and that he had putted using his wedge on the previous hole. 

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“There was a lot happening,” said the German. “I have never seen anything like that before. I only watched it on television, in ‘Tin Cup.’ This is the first time I have seen it live.”

This is the second time this year that a golfer has been disqualified on one of the game’s major tours after running out of balls mid-round.

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In June, French pro Clément Berardo was bumped from the Andalucia-Costa del Sol Match Play 9 on the Challenge Tour after running out of ammo with three holes of his opening round still to play.

Famously, Tiger Woods came within a ball of suffering the same fate during the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach, although he didn’t know it at the time. It was only sometime later that his then caddie Steve Williams revealed how close Woods had come to the ultimate embarrassment.

He didn’t, though. Instead, he went on to win by a record 15 shots.