Tour pro expresses regret after accidentally hitting playing partner in angry outburst

English tour pro Eddie Pepperell has expressed his regret after he accidentally hit another player with his golf club after tossing it away in anger.

Pepperell has been playing on the Challenge Tour (now HotelPlanner) this year attempting to get his DP World Tour card back. 

The 34-year-old, formerly in the top 50 of the OWGR, was in the field at last week's stop in Portugal at Royal Óbidos Spa & Golf Resort. 

He opened the tournament with a solid score of 69, but put himself under pressure to make the cut.

Pepperell told the most recent edition of The Chipping Forecast he got frustrated on one hole early in his second round. 

He hit a wedge through the green and then fatted the subsequent chip. 

Pepperell said he threw his wedge towards his golf bag at the back of the green and it ricocheted off it and struck his playing partner Stuart Manley in the leg. 

Turns out, their week didn't get off to the best start.

"He got in at the very last minute," Pepperell said of the Welshman. 

"I felt a bit bad, actually. He turned up on the first tee, and I knew I wasn't supposed to be playing with Stu. So I said, are you sure you're on the right tee? 

"And he said, oh, I've just got in for Jens Fahrbring, who's withdrawn. 

"So I felt terrible straight away, because I didn't know Stu was first reserve.
But me and Jen [wife and caddie] really liked playing with him."

Opening up on his outburst, Pepperell said: "And there was a bit of a moment on the second round, early doors on the second round, where I threw my wedge at my bag behind the green, and it ricocheted off at an extreme angle, and at quite a significant pace, and actually went veering towards him and hit him. 

"He saw it coming, and so kind of tried to get out of the way, but it did still clip him. And I felt terrible. 

"I signed my card immediately. I said, I'm going in. That's a red line for me. I was ready to call it a day for the game for a long, long time at that point. 

"But he, to be fair, took it really well, and [was] very kind. 

"And Jen, like Stu, said, look, you didn't mean to do it. It's an accident. Don't worry about it. Don't be stupid. You don't need to go in. So I didn't. But, yeah, I was ready to.

"So thank God I was playing with Stuart Manley and not someone else, who would have been well within their rights to say, stop acting like a little... And, yeah."

Pepperell said the club hit Manley somewhere on the leg.  

"It just ricocheted off, and I saw him kind of really try to scuttle away, and I just felt so bad that I put a playing partner in [harm's way]," he said. 

"He's trying to avoid my clubs. I mean, that just shouldn't happen, which is obviously, obviously shouldn't happen, which is why I felt so bad."

It's not the first time this has happened, he added. 

During the 2012 Challenge Tour Grand Final, Pepperell said John Parry's caddie was forced to duck for cover when tossed his club. 

But on that occasion, Parry's looper was able to duck for cover after being warned with extremely loud shouts of 'fore'. 

"This thing would have taken his head to clean off if he hadn't have seen it coming," he said. "So that was the only time I've ever done anything like it.

"And, yeah. Thankfully, he took it well at the time as well. So these things do happen. 

"There's some funny stories out there, I must say, from players who have hit caddies or even other players. 

"But, yeah, it's a rare occurrence, and I did feel bad. 

"I wish there was a referee present at the time who could have said, that's a red card, off you go."

Pepperell explained that to his knowledge players don't get disqualified for such acts. 

But they should.

"There should be someone out there saying, no, no, that's such poor code of conduct that, like Angela Rayner, you're out of there," he said. 

"They would have been well within their right to say that."