Turkish Open: Eddie Pepperell disqualified after running out of balls

Eddie Pepperell is ranked 47th in the world

England's Eddie Pepperell was disqualified from the Turkish Open after running out of balls on the 13th hole of his third round.

Pepperell, 28, who started on the 10th tee, hit his approach to the fourth hole into the water around the green.

He had several more attempts, losing "four or five balls" according to Martin Kaymer, who said the incident was like a scene from the film Tin Cup.

"I have never seen anything like that before," said Kaymer.

"I only watched it on television, in 'Tin Cup'. This is the first time I have seen it live."

Pepperell was officially disqualified for failing to complete the hole and had been two over for his round when he exited the tournament; he could face punishment from the European Tour.

German Kaymer, who was playing alongside Pepperell with South Africa George Coetzee, added: "Eddie hit his shots to the green then came over to tell us he had run out of balls.

"Then he walked off. I thought he lost four or five. We are about 80% sure it was five, 20% four.

"He did not ask if he could borrow one from me or George. It did not look like he wanted to play. He did not putt with his putter on the third hole; he putted with a wedge. So there was a lot happening."

Meanwhile, England's Tyrrell Hatton shot a seven-under-par 65 to move into contention for Sunday's final round.

Hatton, 28, carded an eagle and six birdies to reach 15 under par but trails Austria's outright leader Matthias Schwab by three shots.

Four players share second place with Hatton, including England's Ross Fisher and Scotland's Robert MacIntyre.

England's Justin Rose fell nine shots off the pace with a round of one over.

Rose, who has won this event in the previous two years, had started the third round just two strokes behind Schwab, who is seeking his first win on the European Tour.

Scotland's Richie Ramsay fired the joint-lowest round of the day to reach 11 under overall as nine birdies helped him shoot an eight-under-par round of 64.

Leader Schwab has enjoyed impressive form recently, with top-five finishes at the Italian Open and WGC-HSBC Champions and settled any third-round nerves with an opening-hole eagle and two further birdies by the turn.

"The game plan is going to be the same as it's been for the last three days," said Schwab. "The course is gettable and there are a lot of birdies out there so I'll just stay aggressive because pars won't be enough."