Column: Cheers to Eddie, my new hero

By William Wilczewski

Next time you’re in a toasting mood but have no one to raise a glass to, consider Eddie Pepperell.

My new hero.

You gotta hand it to good ol’ Eddie, he certainly marches to the beat of a different drummer.

And that drum set — complete with bass, snare, floor tom, hi-hat and cymbals — was apparently going off in his head Sunday afternoon while playing the last round of the British Open.

“I was a little hungover. I won’t lie,” he told reporters. “I had too much to drink last night.”

Sure, we’ve all been there, right? A little less pep in our step while walking to the break room; an extra glass of water (or five) to rinse those cotton balls out of our mouth before talking to the boss; a five-minute smoke break that turn into 15 so we can try and convince Neil Peart to stop playing his Tom Sawyer solo behind our eyeballs.

Noooo, not this guy!

This guy shoots a 4-under 67 that put him in a three-way overall tie for sixth place with Tiger Woods and Kevin Chappell, who both also ended their rounds in Carnoustie, Scotland, at 5-under when all the dust settled.

It was also the low round of the final day — and one that not only poured a little salt in Tiger’s wound, but one that also gave Mr. Pepperell his first top 10 finish in a major.

I can see the beer commercials rolling in now for this bullet-proof 27-year-old.

The slogans might go something like this …

Budweiser: “It may not make you wiser, but it could improve your short game.”

Old Milwaukee: “It does get better than this — if you’re Eddie Pepperell!”

Fosters: “Australian for tying Tiger.”

Miller Lite: “Great taste … less filling … … and could net you a payday of $327,000.00.”

Tecate: “Con resaca.”

Schlitz: “Yes, we still make this pond-scum-water, but look who we’ve got as a sponsor!”

Anyway, part of me was actually a little miffed about this whole suds-soap-opera.

I mean, it doesn’t seem fair. Anytime I hit the links, I use my “barley sodas” as an excuse for why my chainsaw (used in the rough) and flip-flops (used in the sand traps) get pulled out of my bag more than a wedge or putter.

After all, no better excuse for triple-bogeying every single hole than a gut full of “loudmouth soup,” right?

But here comes Eddie, changing the game for us all. Thanks to him, it’s not enough anymore to dominate 1-18, now we have to dominate the 19^th hole, too!

Come to think of it, though, there’s really no downside to that, so, “Cheers, Eddie! The first round is on YOU!”

(Wilczewski can be reached at wilczewskiwilliam@hotmail.com.)