The Overnight Leader Withdrawing And A Four-Way Playoff... How A Dramatic Sunday Led To One Tour Pro Ending A 10-Year Winless Drought

The Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge went down to the wire on Sunday as a four-way playoff concluded the competition and former DP World Tour pro, David Horsey claiming a first win since 2015.

Facing off against James Allan, Daniel Young and Joseba Torres, Horsey managed to get the job done with a dart at the first playoff hole, firing a dangerous wedge to three-feet and holing it for birdie.

Although the four-time DP World Tour winner got the better of Allan, Young and Torres, it was another Englishman who made the headlines pre-final round, with joint overnight leader, Eddie Pepperell, withdrawing from the event on Sunday.

After carding a six-under-par 66 to reach 13-under-par for the week, Pepperell was alongside Horsey and Albin Bergstrom at the top of the leaderboard.

However, on Sunday morning, the two-time DP World Tour winner withdrew from the competition with 18 holes remaining, citing a back injury.

It's an unfortunate chain of events for Pepperell, who hasn't won a professional event since the 2018 British Masters, with the former World No.32 only making his return to tour golf last week following a six-week period away from the game.

Before his withdrawal, Pepperell said: "So far this week, I’ve played the golf I used to play. I’ve hit a lot of three woods, and I’ve been hitting my irons well again, which is the formula I’ve been looking for.

"I’ll try my hardest to keep it for as long as possible. I hit some really good mid-irons which gives me the most satisfaction, because that’s the key to my game. I played the par fives pretty solidly and that’s where you get a lot of the birdies from. Nine birdies is good stuff.

“It’s easier to stay calmer when you feel like you know where your next good shot is coming from. Looking back at James (Morrison) winning last week, he said after the third round that he felt happy to be playing good golf again, irrespective of what happened on the Sunday. I feel somewhat similar.

“I feel refreshed for sure. I feel much calmer and my energy levels have been a lot better, which is a good sign. I’m definitely in a better place physically and psychologically too.”

During the Turkish Open on the DP World Tour last month, Pepperell withdrew from the tournament mid-round.

After the withdrawal, the 34-year-old - who lost his DP World Tour card in 2024 - then revealed he was taking a break from golf, claiming that he felt unhappy on the golf course for a long time.

On the The Chipping Forecast, the golf podcast he co-hosts alongside Andrew Cotter and Iain Carter, he said: "I struggled with my game and my head was not in a great spot.

"I reached the end of my tether and just gave my playing partners the card and said ‘sorry fellas, that’s me, over and out’. That’s been coming"

Recording two top-10s on the HotelPlanner Tour, he has re-found some of the form that yielded two wins in 2018, although he also missed the cut in four of his last six tournaments, including three in a row before his withdrawal in Turkey.