EDDIE Pepperell put his best finish on the European Tour down to a boost in confidence gained from victory at the British Par 3 Championship, writes David Pritchard.

The Abingdon golfer claimed a share of fourth place in Denmark on Sunday to seal his maiden top-five finish on tour.

It was a welcome result for the 23-year-old, who had slipped down to 111 in the rankings after missing the cut in three of his last four outings.

Before leaving for Aalborg, Pepperell won the British Par 3 title, chipping in to come out on top in a play-off at Nailcote Hall, near Coventry.

While it was a lower profile event compared to life on tour, the Frilford Heath player felt getting the winning feeling made a big difference.

He said: “Absolutely it does, I knew going to Denmark that confidence alone would take me towards the top of the leaderboard if I had the right attitude.

“No question, the win stood me in good stead.”

Prizemoney of just over £50,000 sent Oxfordshire’s No 1 up to 85th in the money list ahead of a key run of tournaments.

Pepperell is now in Prague for the Czech Masters, which starts tomorrow, and he is also planning to play in Italy, the Netherlands, Wales and Scotland in the coming weeks.

Strong performances would see him improve on last season’s 76th place finish in the Race to Dubai and he has one eye on qualifying for the high-profile final four events, which would mean getting inside the top 60.

While Pepperell is wary about setting a rigid target, it would mean real prog-ress after a patchy second season on tour.

He said: “The year still feels like it’s been disappointing so far.

“I haven’t been happy with the way I’ve played, but I’ve had a couple of good finishes and now I’m looking to push forward.”

He added: “If I can keep doing what I have been doing in practice, I will see where that takes me.

“I want to get in the final four tournaments if I can and I’ve given myself a real chance now.”

Nick Elmey lost in a play-off to finish runner-up in the Junior Gold Medal at Frilford Heath.

The Frilford member finished level with Jake Benson from Beeston Fields GC, Notting-hamshire, on 144 after two rounds of the Red Course.

It took two extra holes to separate the pair, with Benson winning with a birdie on the 18th.

Other Frilford players impressed, with Josh Davies returning the best nett score and Jamie Smith holing his tee shot at the par three fourth.

Frilford Heath also hosted the latest Five Star event, the Richard Pineo Shield, which raised money for the group’s 2014 charity Special Effects.

Martin Lee’s team, Four Amigos, with Alistair Booth, Paul Bence and Clem Davies won with 91 points.

They were two points clear of David Woodhead’s Handeslbanken team and Midfield Motors, led by David Smith.