Of the 19 different ways to qualify for the Masters, the way Laird Shepherd booked his spot at Augusta National might be unbelievable in terms of drama.
Shepherd won the 126th amateur championship at Nairn last June and made an amazing comeback to beat compatriot Monty Scowsill after trailing by eight points after 17 holes of the 36 hole final.
With a berth at the Masters, the Open Championship and the US Open, the 24-year-old was still down with four to play, but won them all before claiming the title on the extra second hole.
“I was definitely thinking about the drive home that night because it would have been about a four hour drive,” Shepherd told the England Golf podcast of his thoughts midway through the final.
“Fortunately, the people around me didn’t think so, they told me that there was still everything to play. I don’t know how much they believed that but match play is so fun you can win a few holes and the outlook has completely changed and I think something like that happened.
“I kept telling my caddy that I had to use the gap to my advantage, just stay aggressive and keep pushing as hard as I could.
“From the age of 13 it’s a little blurry, in that situation you go a little bit into survival mode. With all the prizes and perks of winning, in a way, you feel like your life is on the line. It was a wild day that I will never forget.
“I was extremely nervous (in the playoffs) because it got to that position where I had something to lose again.”
Shepherd’s initial celebrations were incredibly muted given the circumstances, but he added, “I was so mentally prepared to go to the next tee that by the end I was like, ‘Is that really it?’
“And it didn’t feel right to be cheerful, almost because you know how difficult it would be to put yourself on the other side.”
Shepherd’s win was all the more remarkable as he was struggling with back and knee injuries which often meant he didn’t touch a racquet for months, and he had considered returning to university to earn another degree just 10 days before the finals do.
He also worked at a Tesco call center during lockdown but has since competed in the Open Championship at Royal St George’s, made the cut in the Cazoo Classic on the DP World Tour and has already enjoyed practice laps at Augusta National.
“I played the course in January and it’s no exaggeration to say I remember a shot I saw on TV on every single hole,” added Shepherd.
“There are so many iconic moments, especially when you arrive at Amen Corner. The gray matter was working at full speed.
“There are quite a few people coming to watch and the best part about winning the amateur tournament was giving people the opportunity to go to the Masters and the Open with you and experience it.
“I’m quite competitive and no matter what field I’m in, I want to play as well as I can. No one wants to just play two rounds, but at the same time you have to soak it up and enjoy it because who knows if it will happen again.
“There are a lot of people who have very successful pro careers and never play the Masters, so I’m going to do my best to keep my head up and not just focus on every shot and at the same time try to pick up some of it.”
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