As the U.S. Open plays out at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Laird Shepherd has earned one of the first spots in the next iteration of this championship.
Thousands of miles away from the California coast, Shepherd put together an epic comeback in Nairn Scotland to win the R&A’s Amateur Championship. His spoils include a likely invitation a start in this summer’s Open Championship in addition to a likely invitation to next year’s Masters and a spot in the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
The Englishman battled compatriot Monty Scowsill in the 36-hole final on Saturday at Nairn Golf Club. Remarkably, he was 8 down after 17 holes but won the 18th then chipped away at the remaining deficit all afternoon. He clawed his way back to win in 38 holes.
This is Shepherd’s fourth start in the Amateur Championship. The 23-year-old has passed part of the past year working in a call center amid COVID lockdowns. How his fortunes changed over the course of a single afternoon.
“It’s an amazing, amazing feeling,” Shepherd told the R&A. “To come back from eight down through 17 holes, I mean I was honestly more concerned about not making an embarrassing record-breaking defeat. Monty played so good in the morning, so composed, and I didn’t really have my game. To turn it around was unbelievable.
“The tears are probably for the tough times I’ve had over the last few years. It’s never nice as an athlete when you feel like you are going backwards, like I was.”
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— The R&A (@RandA) June 19, 2021