EDDIE Pepperell secured his highest finish since May thanks to a consistent showing at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

The Abingdon golfer knitted together four impressive rounds to end the tournament nine-under par in a tie for 17th.

The tournament was held across three locations, with Pepperell starting and ending at the Old Course at St Andrews.

He enjoyed great success at the historic course and briefly led the tournament eight holes into his first round.

A bogey at the second was followed by five birdies before the turn, although the Frilford Heath member’s back nine was less eventful.

Pepperell dropped a shot at the tenth, but birdied the par-four 18th to end the day four-under par.

The 30-year-old moved on to Carnoustie for day two, where his round was more mixed.

Three early birdies took him to seven-under for the event, but he dropped shots at three of his next four holes.

Pepperell birdied the tenth and the 14th, only for a bogey at the 17th to cancel out the latter.

It moved the two-time European Tour winner to five-under at the halfway stage and he again began like a train on day three at Kingsbarns.

Starting from the tenth, Pepperell claimed three birdies in his first seven holes and added another at the third.

He then hit a rocky patch, with a double-bogey at the fourth followed by two more dropped shots.

Pepperell kept his cool to bogey the ninth and card a second successive round of one-under par.

Back at St Andrews on the final day, the Oxfordshire golfer raised hopes of a top-ten finish with birdies at the first, second and fifth.

Bogeys at the 12th and 13th were a setback, but Pepperell picked up two more shots to card three-under and end a positive weekend on the right note.

He finished nine shots behind winner Danny Willett.

Pepperell is now 332 in the world and plays at the Spanish Open in Madrid this week.