From 8 Down to Amateur Champ: British Amateur Makes Stunning Comeback to Punch Ticket to British Open, '22 Masters
Everyone will have a story from the COVID-19 pandemic. That includes Laird Shepherd, who rallied from 8 down to win his 36-hole match and the 126th British Amateur Championship in Nairn, Scotland.
In what was an all-English final, Shepherd, who spent his time during the pandemic working in a Tesco call center, was 8 down through 17 holes in the morning and 4 down with four to play before winning on the 38th hole when his opponent, Monty Scowsill, three-putted.
“Looking back on it, winning the 18th was so important,” said Shepherd, 23, of his morning 18. “I just managed to get into a bit of a groove in the afternoon once I won a few holes. I can’t describe how I felt coming down the last four holes, but I was in a calm place. In the morning, I was all over the place and was more concerned about being sick on live TV.”
When Shepherd three-putted the 17th hole to go 8 down the outcome seemed assured for the 25-year-old Scowsill, but an errant drive out-of-bounds on the 18th gave Shepherd the hole and renewed life.
“I said to my dad and girlfriend after the first 18 holes that I felt really, really flat and didn’t have any adrenaline,” Shepherd said. “I can’t remember the last time I played 36 holes in a day, never mind three days in a row. Touch wood, my body is feeling good, there is still work to be done in that area, but I managed to get the motivation going on the back nine.”
Starting the afternoon 7 down, Shepherd made his first birdie of the match on the 23rd hole to move to 6 down and then made birdies on the 26th and 27th holes to cut the deficit to 4 down. But he bogeyed the 29th and dropped back to 5 down with seven holes to go.
He got one back with a par at the 30th to set up a finish where he needed to win the last four holes.
Shepherd made birdies on the 33rd and 35th and watched as Scowsill drilled a tree with his tee shot on the 36th and lipped out a match-winning putt.
“I wouldn’t have done anything differently,” Scowsill said. “I just didn’t hit the shots when I needed to on the back nine. It happens. It was my morning; it was his afternoon.”
With the win, Shepherd punches a ticket to the 149th British Open at Royal St. George’s next month. He’ll also receive an invite to the 2022 U.S. Open at the Country Club in Brookline, outside of Boston and, by tradition, an invitation to the Masters in April.
“It’s just going to be really special,” Shepherd said of next month’s Open. “Whatever happens in the events I’m now going to play, nobody can take that experience away from me. I’m so looking forward to testing my game out against the best players in the world.”