In one of the most remarkable matchplay matches ever seen on British soil, Sussex’s Laird Shepherd won the British Amateur Championship having been eight down to Suffolk’s Monty Scowsill after 17 holes in the 36-hole final at Nairn.
The 23-year-old manufactured one of golf’s great comebacks having struggled in the morning. He won his first hole at the 18th to reduce the gap to seven and was still four down with four to play.
But having triumphed at 15, 16, 17 and 18, incredibly he still looked second favourite after teeing off on the second extra hole (2nd). The Rye member pulled his tee shot into trouble up the left, had to lay up with his approach before chipping to four feet. In contrast Scowsill boomed a drive up the left, went long with his approach, put his 40-foot putt four feet past and, having watched his opponent complete a brilliant up and down, his par putt horse-shoe-ed out.
The new champion was clearly emotional at the conclusion but burst into tears when he was hugged by his girlfriend Chloe Goadby, the Scottish Amateur champion. Having at one point been 212 in the world amateur golf rankings, the St Andrews-based player went into the event in 846th place. He has not challenged in any major amateur competition in the last three years and missed the cut at the St Andrews Links Trophy earlier this month. Also in May he failed to make it beyond two rounds at the Scottish Open.
“It’s an amazing, amazing feeling,” said Shepherd. “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.
“The last 18 holes I thought ‘I’m not going to win’, but at least I could get a few highlights that I can watch on YouTube one night! It’s just amazing how things can change.
“Looking back on it, winning the 18th was so important. 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.”
Just reaching the final for both players was a major surprise. Scowsill started his challenge at Nairn ranked 1181 in the world and also missed the cut at both major events in Scotland.
And both players narrowly qualified for the matchplay stages with Shepherd one shot inside the +6 cut mark and the Suffolk man qualifying 48th on four over.
But both players came alive in the knockout rounds with Shepherd in particular putting together an impressive series of victories. He edged out Walker Cup player Jack Dyer (Boyce Hill) in the semi-final, having beaten England international Sam Bairstow (Hallowes) in the quarter-final. Before that he registered a 4&3 success over Burnham & Berrow Salver victor Arron Edwards-Hill.
But the final looked a step too far as Scowsill birdied five thru seven to go three up and added two more at nine and ten to extend his lead to five.
Scowsill’s sixth birdie in the morning at 15 left him seven ahead and Shepherd’s fifth bogey on 17 left him eight back.
However the 18th offered the Rye player his first bit of respite as his opponent found trouble and a par was enough to pull a hole back.
After lunch Shepherd grabbed his first birdie of the day at the fifth to cut the gap to six and added further threes at eight and nine to leave the gap at four with nine to play.
However he bogeyed 11 before his playing partner returned the favour at the very next as Scowsill’s bunker shot ended 12 feet short and he couldn’t find the bottom of the cup.
With the next two holes halved the long-time leader looked to have halted all the momentum but his driver had not been behaving and at 15 he found thick rough up the right at the short par four while Shepherd’s drive was on the fringe on the left. A chip to three feet gave the Sussex man his chance and he held his nerve with his opponent having missed his birdie putt from 20 feet.
The feeling that things were starting to unravel for the older player gathered pace at 16 as he drove into thick gorse bushes and had to take an unplayable lie. Incredibly he still managed to make his opponent make a putt to stay in it by holing a long bogey effort but Shepherd’s three-footer was tucked away.
At 17 both players found the fairway with an iron but Shepherd was crucially first to go and piled on the pressure by putting his approach to four feet while Scowsill dragged his wedge way left and could only put his pitch to 15 feet. Again he drained it though making his partner hole out, which he did brilliantly, putting through his shadow.
On the 18th tee Scowsill watched his opponent hit it into the rough up the right but he was clearly rattled and with his practice swing clattered the hole sign. It sounded like a bell ringing and his next swing was clearly his fastest of the day, the ball smashing into trees less than 100 yards up the left and rebounding to the side of one of the forward tees.
He managed to find the find the side of the green with his third and chipped to ten feet while Shepherd was facing a 15-foot birdie putt. With the trailing player missing, the long-time leader had a putt for the match but the ball agonisingly lipped out.
For him the agony was not over. After making a great up and down to half the first extra hole, he just could take advantage of his first decent drive for a long time at the second and the agony of defeat was confimed soon after.
For Shepherd he can look forward to tilts at this year’s Open at Royal St Georges and next year’s Masters and US Open and a victory that will go down in golfing folklore.