Golfer Eddie Pepperell was disqualified during the third round of the Turkish Airlines Open on the PGA European tour on Saturday. The reason why wasn't exactly one that happens very often. Pepperell was disqualified for running out of golf balls during his round.
The English golfer lost all five golf balls he hit during the round. Pepperell hit his final ball into the water on the fourth hole.
Pepperell was playing with Martin Kaymer (Germany) and George Coetzee (South Africa).
"Eddie hit his shots to the green then came over to tell us he had run out of balls, then he walked off. Kaymer said following the round. "I thought he lost four or five. We are about 80% sure it was five, 20% four. He was quick, so it was hard to keep track. He did not ask if he could borrow one from me or George. It did not look like he wanted to play. He did not putt with his putter on the third hole; he putted with a wedge. So there was a lot happening.
"I have never seen anything like that before," Kaymer added. "I only watched it on television, in 'Tin Cup.' This is the first time I have seen it live."
The reasoning for Pepperell's disqualification was "failure to complete a hole." The English golfer could've borrowed a ball from Kaymer or Coetzee and taken a two-stroke penalty, but chose not to do so.
Pepperell currently plays on the European Tour, but has played in major tournaments in the United States. The 28-year old finished 51st in the 2019 Masters and 16th in the U.S. Open in 2017.
While it's certainly possible to run out of balls if a golfer has a bad round, this is something that golf fans don't see every day.
