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Laird Shepherd staged arguably the greatest comeback in Amateur Championship history when he came from 8 down after 17 holes to beat fellow Englishman Monty Scowsill at the 38th hole of a scintillating final at Nairn Golf Club in Scotland.
Shepherd had practically thrown in the towel at lunchtime, even though he won the 18th hole to get the deficit back to 7 down.
“Honestly, as I was having my lunch after the first 18 holes I thought it was over,” the 23-year-old admitted. “I just didn’t want to make it an embarrassing score line.”
Shepherd’s girlfriend and fellow Stirling University student, Chloé Goadby, won the Scottish Women’s Championship at Gullane two weeks ago, and she was on hand to give him encouragement after 18 holes.
“She was in my ear telling me not to give up, but I just didn’t see it happening, honestly,” he said.
Shepherd, who defeated compatriot Jack Dyer by one hole in the semi-final, still was 4 down with the last four holes to play in the 126th Amateur final but won them all to take the match back down the first hole. He and Scowsill, who booked his final place with a 2-up win against Welshman James Ashfield, halved the 37th hole. But Shepherd got up and down for a par on the 38th, while Scowsill three-putted from the back edge.
“Just to win is amazing, but to come back like that is surreal,” said Shepherd, who broke down in tears on the 38th green. “I felt so nervous I thought I was going to die. I just can’t describe it. The only time I felt comfortable was when I was 8 down. It was almost like ‘I don’t know if I want to put myself through that again.’
“Just to win is amazing, but to come back like that is surreal. I felt so nervous I thought I was going to die. I just can’t describe it."
LAIRD SHEPHERD
“I feel for Monty, he’s a mate of mine. He did play so well, holed a lot of great putts. He didn’t give it away, he really didn’t. He holed great putts on the 34th and 35th to make me hole mine.”
Shepherd, a member of Rye Golf Club, had surgery on his left knee in 2018 and then went through back injuries. There was a point when he thought he might have to quit golf.
“It’s been a difficult few years with the injuries,” he said. “There have been conversations and I’ve definitely had thoughts about whether this is going to work out in terms of golf. Would I even be able to play the amount of golf I did this week let alone play a tournament like this and win it?
“Back in January I was really struggling with my back, struggling with my golf game. I’d go practise early in January and I’d hit five or six shots and I was in tears. I thought I’m no good at anything but golf so it’s kind of scary when you think it’s your only option. So, to come back from that is special.”
Shepherd will play the Open Championship at Royal St George’s next month as a result of the win, and will receive invites to next year’s Masters and U.S. Open.
“Royal St George’s is pretty near to where I live so I’ve played it a lot,” he said. “I was going to go through Open Qualifying but now I don’t have to do that. It’s just so special and to be playing Augusta is just going to be surreal. I’m sure I’m going to be even more nervous.
“I cannot believe it.”
Scowsill was disconsolate at the end but full of praise for the victor.
“It’s really tough to take,” he said. “I was in command all the way, really. I finished poorly and Laird finished very well, to be fair to him. That’s golf.
“I wouldn’t have done anything differently. 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.”
Scotland’s Matthew Clark suffered the Amateur Championship qualifying curse when he became the 19th player since 36-hole qualifying was instituted in 1983 to hold or share medallist honours and lose his opening match. Clark followed an opening 72 with a course-record 62, 9-under par, to post 8-under 134 and pip Dyer by a shot for No 1-seed honours.
It was the first time the former Scottish captain had qualified for the match-play rounds. However, he became the third consecutive medallist or co-medallist to crash out in the opening round when he lost, 5 and 4, to England’s Mason Essam.
Results
Alistair Tait