EDDIE PEPPERELL
t’s been a very odd period, but my home life has gone pretty much back to normal now I’m able to play and practise again. It’s still slightly strange in the sense that golf on the European Tour is a decent way away, but I’m sure I’ll start getting more excited as the return edges closer. I’m trying to see my coach every week until we get going again, just to try and keep on top of things and put some structure in place.
The swing actually felt quite good the first few sessions back. When I went on the course, I wouldn’t say it was entirely perfect – some of the fiddly, more technical aspects I’d lost a bit, but I moved pretty well. The thing with the golf swing is you can take three weeks off without hitting a ball, but if you spend a lot of time working on, say, your takeaway – which I think is the most important part of the swing – it’ll be great when you come back.
But I didn’t focus on anything technical during lockdown. Taking time off can sometimes be really good – it resets the body and you’re able to move better as a consequence. My chipping and bunker play was dreadful at first, mind, but I’ve been focusing a lot more on those areas of late.
As I said, though, I’ve got some time, with the European Tour not coming back until the six-event UK swing starting in late July. I doubt very much I’ll play in all those events, but it also depends on how restrictive the measures are. For example, if you have to stay quarantined in a hotel for the whole period I might not bother at all,
Ias I don’t envisage I’d enjoy that very much. I’ll only play if I feel like I’m enjoying it in some way and there’s some sort of social aspect back. I’ll almost certainly play the first one – the British Masters – but beyond that we’ll just have to wait and see.
It’ll certainly be interesting with the lack of crowds. I think scoring will be better because people won’t feel as much pressure; there won’t be many nerves. It’ll be a strange one. The more I think about it, the more I think crowds are everything. They give the atmosphere and without that you lose the soul of the event. I’m not optimistic it’ll be an enjoyable product to watch.
Look at the 17th at Sawgrass; it’s only a wedge, but there are 25,000 people around the green creating this awesome sense of occasion. You know if you miss you’re going to be heckled, but if you hole a long putt, like I did last year, people will be chanting your name. That’s why you love playing and performing as a sportsman.
The little par-3 16th at the Made in Denmark is another example. So many great things come out of these holes when you stick crowds around them. Atmosphere is everything. If you chuck 50,000 people in an arena to watch any event, it’ll make it much better. But the European Tour has to proceed this way and I understand and support that. It’s just going to be very odd.
That statement would also apply to a Ryder Cup without fans. I know some players, like Jon Rahm and Rory Mcilroy, have come out against a Ryder Cup without fans, and I’d agree. However, the players may not get what they want as commercial interests may win out. That’s not necessarily bad; if it has to happen for financial reasons then I think the players will recognise that.
It’ll also be interesting to monitor the long-term changes brought about by coronavirus with regards the PGA and European Tours. I personally think both will become less prosperous, but probably the European Tour more so, widening the gap between the circuits. I hope I’m wrong, but I would predict some sort of decline in sponsorship.
Both tours are going to take a big hit this year, and even if things bounce back, I doubt it’ll be to pre-pandemic levels. I just don’t see companies in Europe being so willing to invest in golf when they’re laying off people and there are severe economic problems. In my mind, coronavirus has made a PGA Tour takeover of the European Tour, or some kind of merger, more likely, but we’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out.
“Without fans, you lose the soul of an event. I’m not optimistic it’ll be an enjoyable product”