Eddie Pepperell is hoping a subtle swing change ahead of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters can provide the impetus for him to challenge for more success at the scene of his maiden DP World Tour title.
The Englishman claimed the first of two DP World Tour victories in a breakthrough campaign in 2018 at Doha Golf Club as he climbed to the cusp of a place in the top 30 on the Official World Golf Ranking.
He secured his best result in three years with a runner-up finish in Scotland last summer as he went on to reach the lucrative season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
Form has been harder to come by in 2023, but the Englishman does come into the final counting event in the regular season in the knowledge he has secured his full playing privileges for another year.
With good memories to call upon, Pepperell could yet extend his campaign further with a strong performance in Qatar as he looks to climb inside the top 60 in the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex to feature at next month’s Nedbank Golf Challenge.
“I don’t think I’m far away, but equally I’ve had periods in rounds over the last few weeks where I’ve been poor,” he said.
“It depends which person shows up. I’m doing something a little different this week with my swing, so I’m hopeful that might have a positive impact. We’ll see.”
Aside from his victory five years ago, Pepperell also registered a top-five finish in the Gulf nation of Qatar in 2015.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he added. “It’s nice to come back to a course you’ve had success at.
“I like the course, I’ve played well not just in 2018, I did quite well here in an earlier year as well.
“It suits my game when I’m playing well, which helps, but equally you need to play well – I’m not sure that I will; I may or may not.”
Renowned as a windy venue, Doha Golf Club is hosting the 26th edition of the tournament which has moved from its traditional March slot in the DP World Tour schedule.
Temperatures so far this week have been above average for the time of the year in Qatar, with Pepperell believing coping with the heat after a run of events on European soil will be a key factor over the coming days.
“It’s really hot. I don’t think I’ve ever been in the Middle East with it being this hot,” he explained.
“Even the guys who live here say it’s hot. The biggest challenge this week is keeping energy levels good and concentrating.
“There’s been a couple of [course] changes, a few new tees and if the wind picks up it will play quite tough.
“When you add it all together it could be quite a challenging week. The course is in immaculate condition, so there’s certainly some good scores to be had.”
