01어두웠던 2025년, 그리고 회복
에디 페퍼렐은 15시즌을 DP World Tour에서 보낸 베테랑이다. 자기 인식, 자조, 무엇보다 정직함으로 팬과 언론의 사랑을 받아왔다. 하지만 지난해는 특별했다.
초반 3시즌에 10개의 톱텐을 기록했던 그는 2016년 극단적인 좌절을 맛봤다. 카드를 잃었지만 곧 Q스쿨에서 되찾았고, 2년 내 2회 우승으로 세계 상위 50에 올랐다. 하지만 이후 2021년 제한 자격, 2024년 카드 상실 등의 도전을 거쳐, Q스쿨 마지막 홀에서 7피트 이글 퍼트를 놓치는 등의 아픔을 겪었다.
2025년은 최악의 시즌이었다. 레이스 투 두바이 166위, 로드 투 말로르카 79위. 그는 블로그에서 이 시간들 동안 자해에 빠졌다는 것을 공개했다.
"작년엔 정말 어두운 시간이 많았어요"라고 페퍼렐은 말했다. "제 블로그에서 공개한 건 동정을 바라는 게 아니라, 정말 있던 일이었어요. 하지만 저는 너무, 너무 좌절했었어요. 그렇게 좌절할 때는 심리적 고통을 신체적 고통으로 바꾸는 게 정서적 고통보다는 위로가 됐어요. 올해는 그런 시간이 없었어요. 일반적으로 더 좋은 곳에 있었고, 형도 더 좋았으니까요."
02Q스쿨에서의 전환
회복의 계기는 작년 Q스쿨이었다. 15번 그린에서 자신의 운명을 받아들이려던 순간, 그는 훌륭한 마무리로 상황을 바꿨다. "15번 그린에서 다시 호텔플래너 투어에 가는 줄 알았어요. 그런데 좋은 마무리를 했고 일이 빨리 바뀌었어요."
4개 버디 피니시가 그를 투어로 돌려보냈고, 첫 14경기에서 2개의 톱텐과 단 3개의 미스컷을 기록했다. 그 이후 폼은 예전 같지 않지만, 자신의 카드를 유지하기에는 충분한 위치에 있다.
"올해는 처음으로 2019년 이후 드라이버를 쓰고 있어요"라고 그는 설명했다. "요즘 골프에서 드라이버를 안 쓰는 건 미친 거예요. 드라이버 실력도 많이 늘었고요. 기본기에 집중하려고 했는데, 최근엔 조금 놓쳤어요. 그래서 그걸 다시 잡으려고 애쓰고 있어요."
03로버트 락과의 코칭
넥소 챔피언십에서 8홀 만에 라운드를 걸었던 페퍼렐은 24시간 내 한 전화를 던졌다. 대상은 DP World Tour 선수 출신 코치 로버트 락이었다.
락은 20년 DP World Tour 경력에 2회 우승을 기록했고, 선수 시절에도 이미 여러 선수들을 코칭 중이었다. "금요일 아침에 집에 와서 로버트를 만났어요. 조금은 진전을 봤고, 제가 하는 일에 대해 좀 더 명확하고 확신을 갖게 됐어요"라고 페퍼렐은 말했다.
"오래 누군가와 일하는 게 좋을 거 같아요. 록키는 훌륭한 친구고요. 여러 번 경기했고, 그는 정말 멋진 스윙을 갖고 있어요. 아이디어를 주고받을 수 있는 게 좋고, 그보다는 더 깊게요. 락키는 스윙에 대해 많이 알고, 저는 덜 알지만 (웃음) 제 스윙에 대해선 많이 알아요. 우리 둘 다 호기심 많고 실험적이라 좋네요."
04팟플랜 B의 등장, 그리고 앤디 머리
페퍼렐은 최근 미디어로도 진출했다. 스포츠 저널리스트·방송인 앤드류 코터, 이안 카터와 함께 팟캐스트 '칩핑 포캐스트'를 진행 중이고, 건강한 청취자층을 확보했다.
"역사적으로 저는 할 게 없었어요"라고 페퍼렐은 솔직하게 말했다. "많은 프로들의 현실이 그래요. 다른 선택지가 없으니까 계속 하는 거죠. 골프가 처음으로 플랜 B(대안)가 생겼어요. 회복력과 성격의 이야기로 포장하지만, 사실은 할 게 없으니까 오래 붙들고 있는 거거든요."
최근 그는 그랜드슬램 2회 우승, 2회 윔블던 우승, 올림픽 우승의 전 테니스 세계 랭킹 1위 앤디 머리와 우정을 맺었다. 테니스 은퇴 후 열심히 골프를 배우고 있는 머리는 페퍼렐과 선닝데일 포섬스(4인 팀 경기)를 함께하기도 했다.
"앤디는 훌륭해요. 그의 가족도 좋아하고, 주디와 제임스도 만났어요. 정말 훌륭한 가족이에요"라고 페퍼렐은 말했다. "그는 열심히 일하는 사람이에요. 제 생각엔 저보다 더 단순하고, 아마 대부분의 사람이 그럴 거예요 (웃음). 저는 계속 이상한 아이디어에 빠지곤 했는데, 앤디는 그렇지 않았어요. 그는 지시를 따르고 규율이 있어요. 최고의 스포츠인처럼요."
"그의 커리어를 봤을 때, 그 정도의 헌신은 두 번째가 없을 거 같아요. 지난 5~7년 저에 대해선 그렇다고 못 할 거 같아요. 제 20대엔 그렇게 말할 수 있었는데요."
05마지막, 그리고 카드 보존
페퍼렐은 현재 레이스 투 두바이 83위로, 플레이오프까지 75점, 카드 상실까지는 100점 이상 차이가 난다. 철학적 태도를 유지하고 있다.
"저는 더 좋은 샷을 치려고 노력하고 있어요"라고 그는 말했다. "1~2주만 잘하면, 어딘가에서 좋은 결과를 낼 거고, 그럼 카드가 거의 확보돼요. 그리고 그 이후부턴 더 많은 기회를 얻을 거 같고요. 그게 안 되면? 그냥 그렇게 될 거예요."
06Original (English) — DP World Tour
The DP World Tour caught up with former champion Eddie Pepperell at the Husqvarna British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo to discuss famous friends, his emergence from the darker side of professional sport and what maybe comes next.
"I've been through some fairly lowish points in terms of mood and that type of thing but I'm not there at the moment, my form's just dipped."
As we chat at The Belfry, Eddie Pepperell displays all the things that have made him a favourite with fans and media alike in his 15 seasons on Tour: self-awareness, self-deprecation and possibly most importantly, honesty.
A lot has happened since he graduated from the HotelPlanner Tour in 2012 armed with plenty of talent and a Twitter account that could grab almost as many headlines as his golf.
With 12 top tens in his first three seasons, it looked like a win was the next step but in 2016 he lost his card by the narrowest of margins.
That he got it straight back at the Qualifying School and within two years was a two-time DP World Tour winner inside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking says much about his determination.
He has faced greater adversity since, only securing limited status in 2021 and losing his card in 2024 before missing a seven-foot putt for eagle on the final hole at Qualifying School that would have seen him once again gain it straight back.
That brought him into a 2025 season that saw him finish 166th on the Race to Dubai and 79th on the Road to Mallorca - his least successful campaign of his career.
He revealed in his personal blog earlier this year that his frustrations had led him to self-harm but now back on Tour and on course for his best Race to Dubai finish in four seasons, he is happy to put that "darkish period" behind him.
"Last year there were some really quite dark times on the course if I'm being frank," he said.
"I brought that up not to try and invoke any sympathy in any way shape or form and it was all true what happened last year but it was just that I was so, so frustrated.
"When you're that frustrated, the psychological, I found to replace it with the physical pain was much more comforting than the emotional suffering I was feeling on the golf course and it was mostly just a derivative of feeling so, so frustrated.
"But I haven't been there this year. I think I've been in a generally better place, my form has been better and I think I've come through that darkish period."
The start of his on-course renaissance came at the scene of his heartbreak 12 months earlier - INFINITUM and the 108-hole marathon that is Qualifying School Final Stage.
"On the 15th green at Q School I was resigned to my fate of being on the HotelPlanner Tour again for another year and then I had a great finish and things changed quickly," he added.
A four-birdie finish had him back on Tour and two top tens and just three missed cuts in his first 14 events represented a successful return.
His form since July may not have been as impressive but he is still in a good position to keep his playing privileges and is clearly relatively satisified with his season so far.
"I've used driver this year for the first time since 2019 so that's the obvious thing," he said. "In the modern game, to not use a driver is kind of crazy but I've improved my driving a lot and use a driver.
"I think I've done a fairly decent job of staying on top of a few fundamental things for me in my swing. I think I've lost sight of them a little bit lately and that's why I'm struggling a bit to grapple with that and get it back.
"Generally, from Q School last year all the way through to May, I think I did a fairly good job of keeping on top of a lot of stuff.
"I also had weeks where I finished them off well. In China I had a good finish to finish ninth, South African Open I had a good back nine to finish in the top five where I wasn't doing that last year.
"This year I've had a few better finishes which I would point back to the finish at Q School being the real fuel for that. Those finishing moments on a Sunday can really make all the difference.
"When you look back at a year, the reality is the level of golf might not be much different across a 12-month period but the way you finish a tournament off, which can be a reflection of psychology as much as anything, I think I've been on the right side of that this year, generally."
Of course it can not always be plain sailing and at last week's Nexo Championship, after missing his last two cuts on the DP World Tour and dropping six shots in four holes, Pepperell walked in after eight holes of round one.
"It wasn't so much protecting my mental side as it was a confidence thing," he says. "I knew I was struggling, I felt quite lost and I didn't want to spend that much longer in that frame of mind."
So within 24 hours a call went into a familiar face - DP World Tour player turned coach Robert Rock.
Rock played 468 events across a 20-year DP World Tour career that includes two wins, but was already coaching a host of players while still playing.
"I saw Robert Rock on the Friday morning when I got home and I feel like I've made a bit of progress and have a bit more clarity at least and conviction in what I'm working on which is a good thing," said Pepperell.
"I hope it would be a fairly permanent thing. I think it would be good for me to work with somebody for an extended period of time and Rocky's a good guy.
"I've played with him a number of times out here and he's obviously a wonderful swinger of the club. It's just good to have somebody to bounce ideas off, really, and I would see it more that way.
"Rocky obviously knows an awful lot about the swing, I would say I know less, although obviously I know a fair bit about my own swing. We're both pretty curious and experimental so that's kind of nice."
With the driver back in the bag and hope of a long-term coaching relationship, Pepperell is seemingly here to stay, something that will delight his legions of fans after his recent struggles.
In recent years he has branched out into media, a perhaps natural trajectory that has shown him mature from his early dabbles with social media.
His podcast with sports journalists and broadcasters Andrew Cotter and Iain Carter - The Chipping Forecast - has a healthy audience and Pepperell admits for the first time he may have an alternative calling to golf, although he is unsure whether thhat will help or hinder his game.
"Historically I've had nothing else to do," he said of his life in golf. "I think that's the unfortunate reality for a lot of folks: you have no other option so you just keep doing it.
"It's a nice story to try and tell that it's about resilience and character and of course it is to some degree but at the same time it's also about that you do something because there's nothing else to do and if you stick at something long enough, the law of averages determine that some good will happen and some bad will happen.
"As the last 12 months have gone on, doing other things like the podcast which is going really well, it's probably the first time in my life where some sort of Plan B is beginning to maybe emerge and that has its positives in some respects but also negatives in others.
"Optionality isn't the best thing for motivation, necessarily."
Through both golf and the podcast, Pepperell has recently struck up a friendship with former tennis World Number One and two-time Wimbledon and Olympic champion Andy Murray.
Since retiring from tennis, Murray has become a keen golfer, playing alongside Pepperell in the Sunningdale foursomes, and the latter is full of admiration for his Grand Slam winning playing partner.
"Andy's great and I really like his family," he said. "I've spent a bit of time with Judy and I met Jamie for the first time. I think they're a really great family and I think that counts for an awful lot.
"He's a hard worker, that goes without saying. I think he's probably a simpler character than me but then I suspect most are and that's to my detriment. I think he's better able to do what he's told or not get so lost in silly ideas the way I have done historically in my career. He's ultra disciplined like all top, top sportsmen.
"I have huge amounts of admiration for just the level of application that I think would have been present in his career, it's second to none, I'm not sure I would say that of myself over the last five to seven years.
"I would have said that of myself in my twenties and teens, I think I sacrificed an awful lot, then again golf is a different sport to tennis with longevity aspects and things.
"He's good company and I hope to play the Sunningdale foursomes with him again next year, I think he's keen on that. It was a really good experience to play Sunningdale with him because I felt like he wanted to get himself in that competitive spirit again which was good for him."
Back to the day job and Pepperell currently sits 83rd on the Race to Dubai Rankings Delievered by DP World, less than 75 points from making the Play-Offs but more than 100 clear of losing his card.
On what will happen over the rest of the season, Pepperell, as he often is, is philosophical.
"I'm really trying to just hit better shots," he said. "I know that if I get it right for a week or two then I'll have a decent enough result somewhere along the line that will pretty much secure my card and probably get me a few more opportunities between now and the end of the season.
"If that doesn't happen, it doesn't happen, it will be what it will be."
Peperell's fans around the world will be hoping it will be many more years of Plan A on Tour.
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