It's safe to say that the LIV Golf event in Adelaide was a success, with tens of thousands of fans flocking to the course to watch the golf. At the tournament, one of the features came in the form of a Waste Management Phoenix Open Stadium like-hole, whereby seating ran around the whole perimeter of the par 3 12th.
On Sunday, fans saw some great action, with Chase Koepka making a hole-in-one at the 'Watering Hole', but a video of the American doing the ace ignited a slight argument between some on the LIV Golf circuit and some on the DP World Tour.
Roger Mitchell, who is the co-host of the Are You Not Entertained? podcast, re-tweeted the video of Koepka's hole-in-one, with Mitchell claiming that Eddie Pepperell will be appearing on his podcast to discuss the initiatives within golf. The host added: "He is an intellect I really admire but I suspect we won't be agreeing. Which is fine."
Where to start… Suppose it’s simple; in my 15 minutes I won more events than you did in 22 years. What the Tour has done (just to name a few); GolfSixesHeineken hole at HimmerlandBeat the Pro in HollandThe Tour, which you spent 22 years on did ok for you mate.April 23, 2023
Responding to Mitchell, Pepperell commented back "I suspect we’ll agree on a few things. One thing to add, this has been happening at Scottsdale for years now, so not sure how much LIV is really changing things here, but we can discuss on Monday."
The Englishman didn't just respond to Mitchell, but also to another account called Golf Worldwide, who agreed with Pepperell's comments and was curious as to whether 'party-type holes' could appear on the DP World Tour circuit. In response, the 32-year-old claimed that: "We’ve tried and done plenty of different stuff over the years on ET/DPWT. More than every other Tour combined probably. Can’t tell you how many juniors have hit it inside me on par 3’s in Holland!"
Now, you may wonder how an argument could occur as a result of these harmless comments? Well, one player who didn't agree was Richard Bland, who joined the LIV Golf League back in June 2022. Responding to Pepperell, the 50-year-old stated: "Ed.. tell me where on DP World there’s been a hole like this? Because in 22yrs of playing the tour I can’t think of any. But maybe your 15 minutes on tour you know different."
It’s the sincerest form of flattery. Ask the guys playing the elevated events next year.April 23, 2023
This seemed to strike a nerve with Pepperell as, in a tweet back to his fellow Englishman, Pepperell stated: "Where to start… Suppose it’s simple; in my 15 minutes I won more events than you did in 22 years. What the Tour has done (just to name a few); GolfSixes, Heineken hole at Himmerland, Beat the Pro in Holland, The Tour, which you spent 22 years on did ok for you mate."
Following the spat, and many hours later, another thread then occurred, this time on No Laying Up's Twitter page, with one user asking if the disagreement could have been alcohol related. Pepperell certainly thought so, as he commented: Had to be! We all say silly things when alcohol is involved. Either way, I haven’t taken it personally."
After the comment, Bland did indeed tweet back Pepperell hours later to apologise for his actions, with the LIV player stating that: "Unfortunately I did have too many (drinks) last Ed.. & I apologise for what I said.. I should know better not to tweet under the influence."
In the end, both men made up, as the closing remark from Bland said "lesson learned. All said & done.. I hope you’re well mate," with Pepperell finishing with the words: "Hope you muted the conversation! (I learned how to do that during the pandemic while becoming a conspiracy theorist) Enjoy Singapore."
Hope you muted the conversation! (I learned how to do that during the pandemic while becoming a conspiracy theorist) Enjoy Singapore. 👍April 24, 2023
