Ever-Hungry Kohli Wants More from India
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CCYCLINGYCLING | Page 5 OOLYMPICSLYMPICS | Page 6 Al Adaid Desert Two Koreas Challenge is march apart back, bigger as Winter and better Games close Monday, February 26, 2018 FOOTBALL Jumada II 10, 1439 AH City rout Arsenal to GULF TIMES win first trophy of Guardiola era SPORT Page 3 GOLF / COMMERCIAL BANK QATAR MASTERS TITLE WAIT’S OVER FOR RELIEVED PEPPERELL Englishman wins first European title after finishing a stroke ahead of compatriot Fisher By Yash Mudgal “But I felt good all day, I was in “The last nine months have Doha a great place mentally and kept been great. The start of the sea- telling myself I’m going to win son has been a little bit sloppy, this and Oli certainly made life haven’t really had my game in a ive years on the European more interesting.” good spot. I worked with some- Tour. 128 tournaments. The victory was a reward for body slightly diff erent this week 22 top ten fi nishes. Pepperell’s mental fortitude and and it made a nice diff erence. I And after all that grind, hard work that saw him fi ght back found it a little easier out there Fwhen you win your fi rst title, the from losing his Tour card and re- today to go and trust the feeling fi rst thing, Eddie Pepperell says, turning to Q-School in 2016. “This that I had,” Pepperell said. you feel is “relief”. will give me confi dence,” he said. “When you win, you know you Second, you perhaps feel rich. Swede Marcus Kinhult fi n- can win. I’ve always felt and be- Richer by USD291,000 to be exact. ished at 16-under for the tour- lieved I will win out here but it Pepperell celebrated his fi rst nament after a 68. Spanish duo hadn’t happened before today. European Tour victory at the Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano You’ve always got to take that Commercial Bank Qatar Masters and Pablo Larrazabal, French- step and that’s uneasy but at yesterday. man Gregory Havret and Italian some point in everyone’s career The 27-year-old Pepperell Renato Paratore were tied fourth they’ve got to do something for carded a fi nal round of 70 and at 15-under. Englishman Josh the fi rst time. Hopefully this is held his nerve over the closing White of the MENA Golf Tour, not my last.” stages to fend off compatriot Ol- who qualifi ed through winning iver Fisher by a single stroke for the Professional Division of the LEADING FINAL ROUND the win at the Doha Gulf Club. Qatar Open, shot a fi nal round 75 SCORES “Relief, I guess is the number for a four-round score of four- 270 — E Pepperell (ENG) 65-69- one emotion, as is always the case under par to fi nish in tied 61st 66-70 with a win – although I haven’t position alongside two-time 271 — O Fisher (ENG) 66-69-65-71 had many,” Pepperell said. Commercial Bank Qatar Masters 272 — M Kinhult (SWE) 68-69- The victory saw him rocket champion Paul Lawrie, former 67-68 from 188th to 13th in the season- Ryder Cup player David Howell 273 — G Havret (Fra) 65-69-70- long rankings. and six others. 69, G Fernandez - Castano (ESP) Pepperell and Fisher were tied For Fisher, it was his fi rst top- 68 68 69 68, R Paratore (ITA) for the lead going into the fi nal three since the 2014 Africa Open 71-66-70-66, P Larrazabal (ESP) round, with the former making a but he will have to wait a little 68-67-70-68 steady start and going one-under longer to add to his 2011 Czech 274 — G Coetzee (RSA) 69-66-71- at the turn. Fisher could only card Open title despite fi nishing his 68, S Heisele (GER) 67-68-71-68 a three-over on the front nine, round with 32 blows on the back 275 — M Baldwin (ENG) 68-70- following a hat-trick of bogies, nine after a forgettable front nine 68-69, M Lorenzo-Vera (FRA) which left him four shots adrift of 39. 68-68-69-70, A Otaegui (ESP) halfway through the round. “It went all the way to the last 67-66-73-69 But Fisher bounced back with hole which, after my front nine, 276 — M Foster (ENG) 71-68-68- fi ve birdies on the back nine was what I was hoping for,” he said. 69, C Wood (ENG) 68-69-68-71, S and, when he stood on the fi nal “I hit a lot of good shots com- Han (USA) 69-71-69-67, D Horsey tee, was only a stroke behind his ing down the back nine and gave (ENG) 71-68-65-72, M Nixon (ENG) compatriot. myself a lot of good chances, but 69-68-69-70, A Pavan (ITA) 68- At the closing 589-yard, par- there were just too many bogeys 69-67-72 fi ve 18th, both reached the green today – four in total – so you’re 277 — A Bjork (SWE) 70-69-69-69, in three shots, with Pepperell 25 never going to win a tournament J Scrivener (AUS) 70-70-67-70, A feet from the pin, while Fisher was making that many mistakes on Quiros (ESP) 66-70-70-71, R Wattel just over three yards away. After a Sunday. But at least I pressed (FRA) 71-69-71-66, C Shinkwin Pepperell had left his opening putt him all the way,” the 29-year-old (ENG) 68-69-70-70, A Rai (ENG) 18 inches to the right of the hole, Londoner said. 65-73-69-70, P Waring (ENG) Fisher’s birdie attempt agonisingly Pepperell won the Allianz 68-70-70-69, M Wallace (ENG) slipped wide and with that his Open Cotes d’Armor Bretagne 69-71-67-70, S Fernandez (ESP) chance to force a play-off . en route to graduating from the 69-70-71-67 This left Pepperell to confi - Challenge Tour in 2012 and then 278 — W Ashun (CHN) 69-70-70- dently tap in for par and collect enjoyed three consistent seasons 69, C Bezuidenhout (RSA) 68-72- his maiden Tour success at the before losing his card. 71-67, M Siem (GER) 73-66-68-71, 129th attempt. His previous best His bounce-back season was a S Crocker (USA) 67-68-67-76, H fi nish had been a tied-second in triumph, securing four top-fi ves Tanihara (JPN) 70-69-66-73, M Ireland in May 2015. and three top-tens in his last ten Pavon (FRA) 68-69-71-70 “What a day?! Oli made it re- events in 2017 before a slow start 279 — R Cho (KOR) 69-70-67-73, N Eddie Pepperell of England lifts Mother Of ally tough and I made it tough for to the current season saw him Geyger (CHI) 71-69-69-70, L Gagli Pearl Trophy after winning Commercial myself at the end with the second miss cuts in his fi rst two outings (ITA) 67-70-67-75, N Colsaerts Bank Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club shot on the 18th,” the Oxford- before signs of improvement at (BEL) 71-69-69-70, A Sullivan yesterday. PICTURES: Jayaram shire player said. last week’s NBO Oman Open. (ENG) 69-70-73-67 Runner-up Fisher proud of fi ghting spirit European Tour 13th, the 2011 Czech Open cham- down the back nine and gave my- into 12, shame about the 13th3th but Doha pion responded from six feet on self a lot of good chances but there the 14th was really good aandnd aatt 1155 the 14th. were just too many bogeys today – I made a great save. Then I mamadem de a A Pepperell bogey on the next left four in total – so you’re never going decent swing on the 17th ttee.eee. liver Fisher was proud of the door ajar before the 27-year-old to win a tournament making that “It’s not the result I wantedd bbut his battling display as he birdied the next but Fisher followed many mistakes on a Sunday. But at there was some good stuffff there.there. I Opushed Eddie Pepperell him in and a stunning tee-shot on least I pressed him all the way. had a chance. all the way on the final day of the the 17th meant he was one back “The course was diff erent today, we “I think it was 268 to the frontront ooff Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. heading up the last. had overnight rain last night and the green on the 18th and iitt wwasas The two English friends started the Both men laid up and while Pep- this morning we went out there slightly into the wind off a downs-downss-- day tied at the top at 16 under but a perell was in the rough after two with a diff erent wind to the last few lope so it was a bit of a shameamme thatthaat hat-trick of bogeys from the fourth shots, Fisher could not birdie the days and the rough was wet. So the I couldn’t give the three wwoodoood a sent Fisher tumbling back and 18th for the fourth day in a row to course was asking a few more dif- crack but it was a chance aandnnd thathat’satt’ss when Pepperell birdied the ninth, take the event to a play-off .