Matt Fitzpatrick struggles on final day at British Masters

Matt Fitzpatrick endured a difficult final round to miss out on a top ten finish at the British Masters.
Matt Fitzpatrick on the final day of the British Masters at Walton HeathMatt Fitzpatrick on the final day of the British Masters at Walton Heath
Matt Fitzpatrick on the final day of the British Masters at Walton Heath

Heading into the final day in a tie for eighth, six shots off leader and eventual winner Eddie Pepperell, the Sheffield golfer would have fancied his chances of pushing himself into contention at Walton Heath.

Despite starting his round with a birdie three, the former British Masters champion struggled to make inroads in difficult conditions and would ultimately finish two over for the round and at -1 for the tournament.

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A double bogey five on nine proved costly and he followed with a bogey on 12 when it became clear it would not be his day.

Despite a few nervy moments, no real challenge was mounted on the lead of Pepperell, who found a level par 72 on Sunday enough for him to claim the title with a two shot lead.

The win will take Pepperell into the world's top 35 and almost certainly secure a Masters debut in 2019, with the top 50 at the end of the year qualifying for the first major of the year at Augusta National in April.

Pepperell was ranked outside the top 500 as recently as May last year, but won the Qatar Masters in February and followed a runners-up finish in the Scottish Open with a tie for sixth in the Open seven days later, carding a closing 67 at Carnoustie despite being hungover.

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His three-shot overnight lead was down to a single stroke when playing partner Bjork covered the front nine in 34 and Pepperell three-putted the ninth, the same hole where he enjoyed a spectacular hole-in-one on Thursday.

However, the 27-year-old from Oxfordshire promptly holed his second shot to the 10th from 122 yards for an eagle to move three clear and a par save from off the green on the 14th looked to have sealed the win.

There was still time for some late drama though as Pepperell dropped shots on the 15th and 16th to see his lead cut to a single shot, but Bjork bogeyed the 18th after driving into the heather and Pepperell saved par from a greenside bunker to secure a deserved victory.

Sheffield's Danny Willett missed the cut on Friday by one shot as a five over par 77 proved costly and took him to four over for the tournament.