Sunday 25 February 2018 18:10, UK
Eddie Pepperell held his nerve over the closing stages to claim his first European Tour victory at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
The 27-year-old carded a final round 70 at Doha to fend off fellow Englishman Oliver Fisher by a single stroke and collect the €236,315 winners' cheque.
Pepperell and Fisher were tied for the lead going into the final round, with the former making a steady start by posting eight straight pars.
However, playing partner Fisher could only reach the turn in a three-over-par 39, following three successive bogeys from the fourth - which left him four shots adrift halfway through the round.
But back came the 29-year-old Londoner with five birdies on the back nine and, when he stood on the final tee, was just one stroke behind his compatriot.
At the closing 589-yard, par-five 18th, both reached the green in three shots, with Pepperell 25 feet from the pin, while Fisher was just over three yards away.
After Pepperell had left his opening putt 18 inches to the right of the hole, Fisher's birdie attempt agonisingly slipped wide.
This left Pepperell to confidently tap in for par and collect his maiden Tour success at the 129th attempt. His previous highest finish had been a tie-for-second in Ireland in May 2015.
The relieved new champion told Sky Sports: "What a day. Oli made it really tough and I made it tough for myself at the end with the second shot on 18.
"But I felt good all day, I was in a great place mentally and kept telling myself I'm going to win this and Oli certainly made life more interesting.
"Relief I guess is the number one emotion, as is always the case with a win - although I haven't had many."
Fisher added: "I hit a lot of good shots on the back nine but just made too many bogeys. I made four bogeys and you're never going to win a tournament making that many mistakes on a Sunday.
"But at least I pressed him all the way. It's not the result I wanted but there was some good stuff there."
