Golf is a strange, strange game. Some days you can feel like you do everything right and the shots just don't go your way. Other days, you play hungover and have a dream round.
The latter scenario was the reality for Eddie Pepperell on Sunday at The Open. After shooting a disappointing 71 in good conditions on Saturday, Pepperell sat at a 1 under heading into the final day of the tournament. He felt like he was out of the running and the final round wouldn't matter much for him on Sunday, so he overindulged a bit on Saturday night.
He woke up a bit hungover on Sunday morning, and as it turns out, it worked in his favor. He shot a four-under 67 (his best showing of the four-day tournament) and charged up the leaderboard to put himself in the running on the final day.
After the 18th, he made sure to credit the hangover.
"I was a little hungover. I won't lie. I had too much to drink last night," said Pepperell. "[Drank] some wine with my coach. We just drowned our sorrows for a half hour and had a good chat with a few people. I was so frustrated yesterday that today ... I didn't feel I was in the golf tournament. As it happens, I shot 67. It's a funny game."
A funny game indeed.
While it's humorous that he played his best round with a hangover, his success on the final day probably has more to do with the fact that he came in with little pressure and expectations. He played loose and it worked out for him.
"I like to socialize in the evening if I can and it certainly takes some of the pressure and the sting away from competition golf at this level, because it's very stressful."
Now we all have a go-to excuse for why we play golf hungover.