England’s Eddie Pepperell caused a very minor stir among Irish fans on Twitter this week when he tweeted about Ireland’s finest, Paul Dunne and Padraig Harrington, calling them slow players.

He said in the tweet “Great draw for me tomorrow with Dunners and Padraig. Two certainties; They’ll chip and putt me to death, and we’ll be on the clock.”

You may have your own opinions about calling both of them out like that, but the fact is, there was nothing incorrect in what he said. Both are ‘methodical’ players, to put it kindly. And the tweet was in good nature, complimenting their short games, and Pepperell later followed up his tweet saying he was “a massive Padraig fan” who was “just having a bit of fun”.

Pepperell is one of the best follows on Twitter and his self-deprecating humour and often intelligent tweeting mark him out as an interesting character. With a number of professional golfers having their social media accounts managed by other people, posting on behalf of sponsors, Pepperell has no sponsors and remains authentic in his dealings with his fans.

This is also highlighted by the blog that Pepperell writes – eddiepepperell.wordpress.com – providing a fascinating and revealing insight into life on tour, on and off the course.

Pepperell is an intelligent guy, but also a fine golfer too. Now 26 years old, the Englishman has yet to win on Tour, but a win is surely around the corner. He also displays an on-course intelligence, as revealed by John Huggan in a recent article in Golf World.

In the article, it describes Pepperell at the Scottish Open in 2015, where one of Europe’s leading players hits an approach to the green from a slight upslope, into the wind. The ball launches high in the air and lands 30 yards left of the putting surface. In the next group Pepperell’s drive lands in the same spot. Pepperell’s shot rises no more than six feet off the ground, running up to 10 feet from the flag. Many of his best performances have been at courses which require strategy, notably finishing tied for 2^nd at the 2015 Irish Open at Royal County Down.

Pepperell only finished in a tied for 34^th this week, but since September, he has had six top 10 finishes in nine events. At 26 years old, his game is maturing, and mixed with his zany personality, he is one to watch out for.