Golf: British golfer disqualified after running out of balls in Turkey

England's Eddie Pepperell at the final round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland on Sept 29, 2019. PHOTO: REUTERS

ANTALYA, TURKEY (REUTERS, AFP) - Briton Eddie Pepperell peppered every ball he had into a pond at the Turkish Airlines Open on Saturday (Nov 9), then walked off the course.

The world No. 47 was later disqualified for "failure to complete a hole", officials said after the 28-year-old emptied his bag at the par-five fourth, the 13th hole for the day.

"Eddie hit his shots to the green then came over to tell us he had run out of balls," former US Open champion Martin Kaymer told reporters.

"Then he walked off."

Kaymer wasn't sure if Pepperell had hit four or five balls.

"He was quick, so it was hard to keep track. He did not ask if he could borrow one. It did not look like he wanted to play."

Only in the movie Tin Cup had he ever seen anything like it, Kaymer said.

Contacted by text in his hotel, Pepperell would only say there was "nothing to add really", although he admitted he too was unsure how many balls he had launched into the water, Golfworld reported.

Elsewhere, Austrian Matthias Schwab edged closer to a maiden European Tour title by claiming a three-shot lead on Saturday, while Justin Rose's bid for a third straight victory in the tournament all but ended.

World No. 102 Schwab, who has posted nine top-10 finishes this season without securing a win, fired a six-under third round of 66 to reach 18-under 198.

He leads a group of five players, including former Masters champion Patrick Reed, by three strokes.

"I'll just try and do the same stuff that I've been doing the last few days, and I'm sure pars will not be enough tomorrow because it's usually pretty gettable out here," he said.

An eagle on the opening hole for the second straight day got the 24-year-old off to a flying start.

Despite a double-bogey on the 12th, he made two further birdies, including on the final green, to take control of the tournament.

Reed (65) is level with Scotland's Robert MacIntyre (67), Ross Fisher (68), Frenchman Benjamin Hebert(64) and Ryder Cup winner Tyrrell Hatton (65) on 15-under.

American Reed, who was named as a wildcard by Tiger Woods for next month's Presidents Cup on Friday, poured in eight birdies.

"At the end of the day, whoever is in the lead, they are in the driver's seat obviously," he said.

"If they go out and continue playing good golf and make a lot of birdies, going to be hard to catch."

Former world No. 1 Rose is attempting to join Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam and Colin Montgomerie as the only players to win a European Tour event three years in a row.

He started the day just two strokes behind overnight leader Schwab, but slipped back with a one-over 73 and is now nine strokes adrift.

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