Eddie Pepperell is set to make a sentimental return to Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf Val André for this week’s Blot Play9, the venue where he captured his maiden professional title over a decade ago.
The English golfer launched his career with a dramatic play-off victory over Denmark’s Jeppe Huldahl at the 2012 ALLIANZ Open Côtes d’Armor Bretagne, propelling him to 13th in the HotelPlanner Tour Rankings and earning his promotion to the DP World Tour.
Now 34, Pepperell enjoyed a successful stretch on the DP World Tour, highlighted by two victories in 2018 at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters and Sky Sports British Masters.
“It’s really nice to be back in Brittany,” Pepperell said. “Winning here in a play-off remains a special memory. That victory was my first taste of success in professional golf and marked the beginning of a pivotal chapter in my career.”
After losing his DP World Tour card at the end of last season, Pepperell is now aiming for a strong resurgence through the Road to Mallorca Rankings. With positive momentum and improved form, he’s hopeful that this return to familiar territory can reignite his season.
“I’m feeling better physically and mentally than I was earlier in the year,” he added. “I’ve worked on my game and I’m optimistic. There’s still a lot of golf to be played and I’m looking forward to putting together a solid run of results.”
Pepperell will join a competitive field in Brittany, which includes past Blot Play9 champions Alfie Plant and Stuart Manley, along with recent Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge winner Palmer Jackson.
As he revisits the site of his breakthrough, all eyes will be on Pepperell to see if history can repeat itself and spark a return to the sport’s top tier.
About the HotelPlanner Tour
The HotelPlanner Tour, formerly the Challenge Tour, had its first official season in 1989, and has developed into a proven training ground, where the champions-in-waiting compete across the globe for a place on the DP World Tour.
Many players who have progressed from the HotelPlanner Tour have gone on to become Major Champions – including Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick and Brooks Koepka – and Ryder Cup stars, such as Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, Nicolai Højgaard and Tyrrell Hatton.
Using its vast international schedule and relationships with golf federations and PGAs, the HotelPlanner Tour is widely accessible to professionals from across the globe, giving players from developing golfing nations the opportunity to test their skill amongst some of the most talented up and coming stars in world golf.
HotelPlanner, a leading travel technology company, has been the title partner of the HotelPlanner Tour since the start of the 2025 season.
About the European Tour group
The European Tour group administers the DP World Tour, the HotelPlanner Tour, the Legends Tour and the G4D Tour and, as the Managing Partner of Ryder Cup Europe LLP, stages golf’s greatest team contest, the Ryder Cup, in partnership with the PGA of America.
The European Tour group has Strategic Partnerships with the PGA TOUR, the Sunshine Tour, the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, the China Golf Association (CGA), the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), the Korea Professional Golfers’ Association (KPGA), and the TATA Steel Professional Golf Tour of India. These partnerships provide global pathways for players from across the world to compete internationally on the DP World Tour, the main men’s professional golf Tour of the European Tour group which was established in 1972, as well as the HotelPlanner Tour.
