Eddie Pepperell forced to withdraw through injury after holding lead before final round

Eddie Pepperell was forced to withdraw through a back injury while holding the co-lead ahead of the final round of Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge on the HotelPlanner Tour (formerly the Challenge Tour). 

Pepperell, 34, had found himself in a tie for the 54-hole lead on 13-under par alongside David Horsey and Albin Bergstrom.

But the Englishman experienced back pain in the morning and was unable to compete in the final round. 

Pepperell withdrew before the start of the final round at Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil.

The WD was a bitter blow for Pepperell, who was looking to win his first tournament around the world since the 2018 British Masters. 

Pepperell lost his playing privileges on the DP World Tour at the end of last season. 

He is a two-time winner on the DP World Tour having won the Qatar Masters and British Masters, both in 2018. 

Instead of fighting out a winner's cheque of €48,000 in the final round in Normandy, Pepperell ended up walking away with just €780. 

Peperell also dropped eight places in the Road to Mallorca rankings back to 82nd. 

The top 20 players on the Road to Mallorca standings at the end of the season earn their DP World Tour cards for 2026. 

England's Horsey went on to win the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge in a four-man playoff.

Horsey birdied the first extra hole, the par-3 10th, to capture his first win around the world since 2015.

It marked Horsey's third win on the lower-tier HotelPlanner Tour, formerly the Challenge Tour. 

Horsey vaults 97 rungs up the ladder on the Road to Mallorca to 12th. 

The Englishman lost his DP World Tour card at the end of the 2023 season. 

Horsey is a four-time winner on the DP World Tour. 

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