Eddie Pepperell played the British Open with a Sunday hangover and vaulted into the top-10

A Saturday night of drinking in Scotland may have been the key to an excellent final round surge

Only the golf nerds know much about Eddie Pepperell, the Englishman who might win the British Open on Sunday. But he’s one of the most entertaining, goofy players in the game. His Twitter account is among the best out there. He makes fun of himself. He makes fun of you. He makes fun of other golfers. For a sport that’s buttoned up and full of boring interviews, Pepperell is one of the best.

So it was not surprising, for those that are familiar with his work, to have him come right out and say he was hungover on Sunday as he charged up the British Open leaderboard. Pepperell got in the house early with a 4-under round of 67, which will be the best on the day. The wind has made scoring conditions brutal in the late half of the draw so Pepperell can just sit back and watch.

His early tee time, however, meant he started the round in rough shape.

We’ve seen this happen before when conditions change dramatically. Last month at the U.S. Open, Tony Finau and Daniel Berger went out early on Saturday and then watched the entire field ahead of them get wiped out playing a different golf course. They went from an early Saturday tee time to the final pairing on Sunday.

Pepperell finished 5-under for the championship, tied for sixth. Setting the pace early, he was able to sneak back into contention as the leaders came back to the field on Sunday. Though he didn’t wind up with the Claret Jug, he can file this accomplishment away under excellence while managing a Sunday hangover.