'I am on the right track' - Eddie Pepperell focused on kicking on as he reaches landmark 300th DP World Tour start

Reaching a milestone is often a time for reflection, but for Eddie Pepperell it is an opportunity to double down on promising signs in his game as he targets a return to the DP World Tour winner’s circle.

Having made his DP World Tour debut in 2012, the same year as he claimed his first professional title on the HotelPlanner Tour, the fan favourite from England this week makes his 300th appearance in Belgium at the Soudal Open.

In the 14 years in between, Pepperell has experienced the emotions all elite sportsmen and women are used to: from the highs of winning twice on the DP World Tour and competing in all four of golf's men's Majors to the lows of losses in form, burnout and anxiety.

Last year, 12 months after the heartbreak of missing an eagle putt on the final hole of Final Stage Qualifying School, he produced a stirring finish with four consecutive birdies to seal his return to golf's global Tour.

Now, after two top tens in his last five starts in a spell that has seen him finish no worse than a tie for 28th, the focus is on sustaining his form.

"There’s been a lot within that – there’s been some good stuff and bad stuff, and some in between," said Pepperell of reaching the landmark appearance.

"I suppose there definitely won’t be another 300, I can say that with certainty, but if there’s another 100 plus, then I think I would be pretty satisfied with that.

"It doesn’t feel particularly reflective, to be honest. You could win and it would soon be forgotten, so the fact that it’s just my 300th event, it’s less symbolic than a win. I’m pretty focused at the moment."

Through the opening 19 events of the 2026 schedule, Pepperell is 58th in the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World.

Having started the season with a Qualifying School category, continued positive results will strengthen his bid to appear in the Back 9 events later this season where increased prize money and points are on offer.

Not only that but those events, several of which are among the most historic on the DP World Tour, including national opens, would provide the chance for him to climb further up the Official World Golf Ranking.

I suppose there definitely won’t be another 300, I can say that with certainty, but if there’s another 100 plus, then I think I would be pretty satisfied with that.

When Pepperell played at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, he was 540th but his steady progress in recent weeks has seen him climb to 375th and while far from where he wants to be - having reached a career-high 32nd in 2019 - he is staying patient.

"I’ve been doing some good things with my swing and I got back with an old caddie so there have been a couple of changes, but it’s been a pretty decent start to the year for me, so I am pretty set on trying to continue good form, kick on, and use this as a catalyst for something better," he added.

Speaking earlier this year ahead of the Qatar Masters, Pepperell said he was sowing the seeds to enable his game to come together and the 35-year-old believes he is close to thriving.

"I think they’re [the seeds] definitely on show – they’re not quite in bloom, maybe fully flowered, but they’re coming through I think," he said.

"My issue, and this is something where I have messed up in the past, is not allowing them to actually blossom, frankly, and getting in the way of that process and doing something different.

"I am someone who has fallen foul of not getting that balance right at all in my life and certainly my career.

"It’s just about sustaining what I am doing and if I can do that for the rest of the year, I think I am on the right track."

Pepperell, one of the game's most affable characters, has in recent years reached new audiences through The Chipping Forecast podcast, which he co-hosts alongside broadcasters Andrew Cotter and Iain Carter.

He has also in recent weeks returned to writing a blog, which alongside his social media presence when he first set out on Tour saw him catapult into people's awareness.

Candid about his mental and technical struggles through both mediums at different times in his career, Pepperell is confident he is as prepared as ever to capitalise on the solid footing he has rebuilt.

"I was going through some old blogs that I wrote way back then, just reading them was quite funny," he said.

"Dealing with the lonely side of life on Tour was a thing for me at the beginning, because you don’t know anybody and you spend a lot of time on your own in hotel rooms.

"Just getting used to that, you definitely change as a person. To be a golf professional, you have to be a certain type of person anyway, but life on Tour certainly moulds you into a certain type of person as you evolve and as you age, so I think I have changed a lot, but hopefully for the better.

"I have certainly become a lot more sympathetic to the struggles that older guys encounter with the game, because it’s just such a challenging sport."

After caddie Mick Doran, who helped Pepperell win his two DP World Tour titles in Qatar and England in 2018, made the decision to retire from professional golf earlier this month, his former coach Jamie Herbert will this week fulfil those duties.

Pepperell first met Herbert as a child and the pair have forged a strong friendship on and off the course, having first teamed up at the BMW PGA Championship in 2013 when they finished tied sixth at Wentworth Club.

While wary of defining the partnership as "permanent" through for the rest of the season and beyond, Pepperell is excited about teaming up again.

"I think with me and caddies, permanent is not the word I would use," he said with a smile. "I retired Mick in Spain, I haven’t yet retired Jamie!

"Jamie caddied for me at Wentworth in 2013, it was his first week that he caddied for me and I nearly won it.

"I’ve known Jamie since I was ten, so we’re family friends as much as anything, and we get on great.

"Although I have had stints and times where we’ve separated, we’ve always kept in close contact. I love spending time with Jamie.

"He’s a very good caddie as well, he’s evolved in that role, so I think he’ll only help me."