WEBVTT - Part 2: Laird Shepherd, The 2021 Amateur Champion 0:00:03.040 --> 0:00:04.960 Matt, I think that was one of the wonderful things 0:00:05.000 --> 0:00:07.560 about it. That, to be fair, and I don't want 0:00:07.600 --> 0:00:09.840 to be unkind, that nobody had really had of either 0:00:09.920 --> 0:00:13.360 of the guys. Um it's because of COVID obvious of 0:00:13.440 --> 0:00:15.520 the world has changed and that the field for this 0:00:15.680 --> 0:00:19.000 year's Amateur was was maybe not as international as it's 0:00:19.040 --> 0:00:21.840 been in the past. It certainly was still a strong field, 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:25.000 but these two young guys had had not really come 0:00:25.079 --> 0:00:27.680 up on the radar. They happened to be absolutely honest, 0:00:27.720 --> 0:00:30.880 done a whole lot, but they gave us just one 0:00:30.920 --> 0:00:34.120 of the great finals, thirty six sols, thirty eight hols 0:00:34.200 --> 0:00:46.640 of of stunning drama. Another log on the fire here 0:00:47.680 --> 0:00:55.200 give the time. Welcome to the fire pit with Matt Janella. 0:00:56.760 --> 0:01:00.480 So we're back to the start and the ex playing 0:01:00.560 --> 0:01:03.240 of the Amateur Championship at Nairn Golf Club on a 0:01:03.320 --> 0:01:07.120 northern coast of Scotland. In part one you get the 0:01:07.120 --> 0:01:10.280 backstory as to why this is such a special story 0:01:10.760 --> 0:01:13.960 at least one aspect of why it's special, which has 0:01:13.959 --> 0:01:16.080 a little to do with the fact that Laird Shepherd, 0:01:16.520 --> 0:01:18.880 a twenty three year old amateur who got a scholarship 0:01:18.920 --> 0:01:21.560 to play at the University of Sterling in St Andrew's 0:01:22.160 --> 0:01:25.640 nearly quit the game in January of this year after 0:01:25.680 --> 0:01:28.520 several seasons of back pain and knee surgeries. He got 0:01:28.520 --> 0:01:32.200 a timely tip from a childhood friend, which ultimately led 0:01:32.240 --> 0:01:35.760 to a life and legacy changing moment in time. And 0:01:35.800 --> 0:01:38.320 we're getting to all that right after. We thank Link 0:01:38.400 --> 0:01:41.399 Soul for their support. This is Jeff Cunningham, the co 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:44.640 creator on the essence of the lifestyle brand. I wear 0:01:44.680 --> 0:01:49.600 everywhere every day. We're all here because this thing wants 0:01:49.640 --> 0:01:51.760 to grow and wants to be something, and it goes 0:01:51.800 --> 0:01:53.960 well beyond clothes. It goes into the goat. It goes 0:01:54.000 --> 0:01:57.960 into everything about the game and just in life in general. 0:01:58.000 --> 0:02:00.480 But you know I was I was an artist an artist, 0:02:00.520 --> 0:02:06.000 and John was engulfed and and uh Amber family and 0:02:06.000 --> 0:02:09.960 and those three things are what makes this company go. 0:02:09.960 --> 0:02:12.680 Go to Links sold dot com. Use promo code fire 0:02:12.720 --> 0:02:18.320 Pit discount on your next purchase. Before we get started 0:02:18.320 --> 0:02:21.880 on what some simply referred to as the Amateur Championship, 0:02:22.120 --> 0:02:24.760 I should tell you something about Narron Golf Club, the 0:02:24.880 --> 0:02:28.240 venue for this story. The Scottish Links was founded in 0:02:29.120 --> 0:02:35.040 seven and has members at Nairn Gorse is a hazard 0:02:35.280 --> 0:02:38.720 and according to their website, the Great James brad once said, 0:02:39.120 --> 0:02:41.840 the texture of the turf and the character of the 0:02:41.880 --> 0:02:45.960 greens is unrivaled. One of the characters in today's story 0:02:46.040 --> 0:02:50.799 is George Harper Jr. Hey George Matchan Nola hey Man, 0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:53.640 how are you? An announcer for the RNA, who was 0:02:53.720 --> 0:02:58.560 covering his third Amateur Championship. We visited about three weeks 0:02:58.600 --> 0:03:01.000 praw to the Amateur and wait got some behind the 0:03:01.040 --> 0:03:04.400 scenes interviews and we chatted to one of the historians 0:03:04.400 --> 0:03:06.280 there who took us behind the scenes and they've got 0:03:06.280 --> 0:03:10.360 this really cool archive room and it was amazing to 0:03:10.440 --> 0:03:13.919 see his emotion alone when he was telling the story 0:03:13.960 --> 0:03:15.640 about where the club came from. You know, it was 0:03:15.639 --> 0:03:19.079 always a golfing community, um, if you were from there 0:03:19.080 --> 0:03:21.880 and you played golf, And it was obviously the history 0:03:21.880 --> 0:03:26.200 of Tom Morris, who who recently turned two hundred approximately, 0:03:27.240 --> 0:03:29.600 and the fact that he had a little part to 0:03:29.639 --> 0:03:31.680 do with it was so cool. And and then back 0:03:31.720 --> 0:03:34.120 in the day it was a mass of Fisherman's town 0:03:34.160 --> 0:03:36.600 as well. So they've got the boffy and the ice 0:03:36.640 --> 0:03:38.640 house down the end of the course, which is like 0:03:38.800 --> 0:03:41.240 now turned into it at the ninth where you can 0:03:41.240 --> 0:03:43.360 get your snacks, your drinks and have a little break 0:03:43.400 --> 0:03:46.320 and it's it's just got all that amazing history. And 0:03:46.520 --> 0:03:49.080 I played near and once a long time ago. I 0:03:49.120 --> 0:03:51.320 don't remember a lot of detail other than the only 0:03:51.400 --> 0:03:54.840 holes on the water are the first seven and they 0:03:54.840 --> 0:03:58.000 all go out in the same direction. Yes, So they 0:03:58.080 --> 0:04:01.040 hosted it back in the in the nineties is they 0:04:01.040 --> 0:04:02.720 had a good amateur there, but they've also got the 0:04:02.720 --> 0:04:05.440 Walker Cup behind them and the Curtis Cups, so they 0:04:05.480 --> 0:04:08.040 had so many big names come there and they make 0:04:08.040 --> 0:04:11.000 sure they all sign the book on arrival. So on 0:04:11.080 --> 0:04:14.120 the first tea at the amateur Gordon was there the 0:04:14.160 --> 0:04:16.960 starter and making sure everyone signed to sign the big book. 0:04:17.000 --> 0:04:19.200 And looking back, you know you've got all those cool 0:04:19.320 --> 0:04:23.000 names from from the Walker Cup sides and the US 0:04:23.080 --> 0:04:26.400 sides as well, so there's no Shortager Club history and 0:04:26.400 --> 0:04:29.719 and they are really really proud of the tournaments that 0:04:29.800 --> 0:04:31.360 have been there in the past. So this was their 0:04:31.360 --> 0:04:34.440 second time hosting the championship, uh and it will no 0:04:34.560 --> 0:04:37.880 doubt go down in history. And we were just so 0:04:37.960 --> 0:04:40.200 happy to be able to open it up to fans 0:04:40.240 --> 0:04:45.120 because literally only the week before we've finally got the 0:04:45.160 --> 0:04:47.960 a OK to allow members to come and then from 0:04:47.960 --> 0:04:50.600 there it went from I think four odd members to 0:04:50.720 --> 0:04:54.080 a thousand members and fans. So it was just really 0:04:54.120 --> 0:04:57.640 helped help lift the morale and the energy at then 0:04:57.680 --> 0:04:59.560 golf club. So we're very lucky to be able to 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:02.720 get everyone and there to watch what was an amazing final. 0:05:03.200 --> 0:05:05.279 Well we had them. I asked Harper to give us 0:05:05.320 --> 0:05:09.120 the details of the format. Yes, So the Amateur Championship 0:05:09.360 --> 0:05:11.479 is I like to call it a marathon. It's a 0:05:11.600 --> 0:05:15.560 it's a true test of golfing fitness. It's it's something 0:05:15.600 --> 0:05:18.080 that I certainly couldn't do even if I had the 0:05:18.120 --> 0:05:21.960 down and it's a long long road. So traditionally it 0:05:22.040 --> 0:05:26.200 starts with two hundred and forty four two I think, 0:05:26.200 --> 0:05:28.599 and it's like two different They used two different courses 0:05:29.600 --> 0:05:32.000 and where you get one round one round of stroke 0:05:32.040 --> 0:05:35.279 play at each course, so you swap over. So there's 0:05:35.320 --> 0:05:38.440 without COVID, there's normally a huge field, but with with 0:05:38.560 --> 0:05:41.440 COVID and not much not much travel, the field was 0:05:41.440 --> 0:05:43.960 was tightened, but it was still a really really strong 0:05:44.080 --> 0:05:46.719 and impressive field which were which everyone was really happy 0:05:46.720 --> 0:05:48.919 with and then so you do two rounds of stroke 0:05:48.960 --> 0:05:52.200 play and then from there your top sixty four players 0:05:52.240 --> 0:05:55.839 advanced to the match play rounds. So if there's ties, 0:05:55.960 --> 0:05:58.720 it's all on cout back um. But normally with the 0:05:58.760 --> 0:06:01.320 bigger field did be an extra round to get your 0:06:01.360 --> 0:06:04.960 sixty four and ties into. But your top sixty four 0:06:04.960 --> 0:06:06.640 and tires go through. And then next when you get 0:06:06.640 --> 0:06:09.120 seeded into your the top of the table, so your 0:06:09.160 --> 0:06:12.280 top qualified plays the person and sixty four and then 0:06:12.360 --> 0:06:14.160 let's how you get your seeds and you go into 0:06:14.600 --> 0:06:17.280 match play knockout. From there we were into a lot 0:06:17.279 --> 0:06:20.040 of win the day we played, which is exactly how 0:06:20.080 --> 0:06:23.000 they had it for the first round of stroke play. Again, 0:06:23.080 --> 0:06:26.200 our main character, Laird Shepherd, was coming into the amateur 0:06:26.320 --> 0:06:29.359 just happy to be playing pain free, and as the 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:32.880 thirtieth alternate, he was also just grateful to be in 0:06:32.920 --> 0:06:37.680 the field, after all, he had card in hand. I 0:06:37.839 --> 0:06:41.240 was not not a bad seventy seven I am. It 0:06:41.279 --> 0:06:44.120 was burned out forty five min and I tied off 0:06:44.480 --> 0:06:47.800 in the afternoon and then lay literally lay on the 0:06:47.839 --> 0:06:50.880 first lay for half an hour waiting for the group 0:06:50.880 --> 0:06:53.919 in front because the ball was basically blowing off the green, 0:06:54.640 --> 0:06:56.600 and I was thinking, but we're going to walk in 0:06:56.680 --> 0:07:00.279 here because you know they're not gonna not gonna fished 0:07:00.279 --> 0:07:02.680 the round because it was only supposed to get stronger, 0:07:02.720 --> 0:07:05.640 And so we waiting for half an hour. Then suddenly 0:07:05.680 --> 0:07:09.160 they just get playing. So I got up and played, 0:07:09.200 --> 0:07:11.640 and I came in after that round of golf and 0:07:11.760 --> 0:07:14.920 said to my my friends, I was like, I played 0:07:14.960 --> 0:07:17.120 really well when I shot sixth set over there. So 0:07:18.480 --> 0:07:21.280 after day one, Shephard was somewhere in the middle of 0:07:21.280 --> 0:07:23.880 the pack. You went to play the second second round, 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:27.280 it was much much calmer and probably left about five 0:07:27.320 --> 0:07:29.600 or six shots out where, but did did enough. That's 0:07:29.600 --> 0:07:32.840 all you have to do. After a seventy one under, 0:07:33.120 --> 0:07:36.560 he was in as the fifty four seed. He had 0:07:36.560 --> 0:07:39.240 been here before and had lost in the first round 0:07:39.240 --> 0:07:42.040 of match play. The mindset for match player is huge, 0:07:42.040 --> 0:07:45.520 ships so different. I think that's the toughest thing is 0:07:46.400 --> 0:07:49.760 is um to get through those first few matches because 0:07:49.760 --> 0:07:52.080 you've got to have you got a snap from stroke 0:07:52.120 --> 0:07:55.520 playing too. Match playing you gotta have a different mindset, 0:07:55.520 --> 0:07:58.280 and I think I was able to learn from my 0:07:58.360 --> 0:08:02.600 previous failures to win my first round match to really go. 0:08:03.680 --> 0:08:06.200 You've got you know, you've got to put your foot 0:08:06.200 --> 0:08:08.920 on people's next and get get the job done as 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:12.760 quickly as possible. So um, but that sort of was 0:08:12.800 --> 0:08:16.560 what my mindset was. Yeah. First round, Shepherd played Aaron 0:08:16.680 --> 0:08:20.800 Snare Julie Son if Shephard was ranked six in the 0:08:20.800 --> 0:08:25.240 World Amateur Golf rankings. Julia Son of Iceland was ranked 0:08:24.600 --> 0:08:28.120 two third. He he actually he was. He was a 0:08:28.120 --> 0:08:31.920 good player, um, you know, really solid player. He shot 0:08:31.960 --> 0:08:34.720 six d of the day before, so you know, you 0:08:34.760 --> 0:08:38.839 know this guy can play. Um. Usually people don't don't 0:08:39.000 --> 0:08:42.360 link up to six unders in the road. But you know, 0:08:42.679 --> 0:08:44.920 I knew I was in for a match as soon 0:08:44.960 --> 0:08:47.840 as we teed off. You know, hit this perfect you know, 0:08:48.080 --> 0:08:50.880 rifle stinger driver and I'm like, okay, this guy's got 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:53.920 some game. Um, and got off to a fly and 0:08:54.000 --> 0:08:57.000 it won the first two holes and it was in 0:08:57.200 --> 0:09:00.680 any control all the way early. But my ashes, I 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:04.599 think eagle hold to go free up with three to 0:09:04.679 --> 0:09:08.280 play and then down down down that next hole. And 0:09:09.280 --> 0:09:12.000 you know I played played really well and they gave 0:09:12.040 --> 0:09:14.240 me a lot of confidence. Now my confidence grew was 0:09:14.320 --> 0:09:18.280 leap went on. Um. But it's always good to get 0:09:18.320 --> 0:09:22.640 off to a good start and not burn too much energy, 0:09:22.760 --> 0:09:26.559 because the further you go, the nearer you get to eighteen, 0:09:26.640 --> 0:09:29.880 the more of that sort of mental energy you're you're burning, 0:09:29.880 --> 0:09:33.800 and you want to try and save that up for 0:09:34.120 --> 0:09:36.600 when you need it. So Shepherd had made the trip 0:09:36.640 --> 0:09:39.640 with Andrew Davidson, a good friend and his former teammate 0:09:39.679 --> 0:09:44.280 at Sterling University. Your first impressions of Laird Shepherd classic 0:09:44.360 --> 0:09:47.480 English guy, I would put them down as that the 0:09:47.520 --> 0:09:51.240 bracket was set up to be a buddy buster. Chloe Godby, 0:09:51.480 --> 0:09:55.880 Laird's girlfriend and recent winner of the Women's Scottish Amateur explains, 0:09:56.520 --> 0:09:58.760 I knew when the match played draw came out that 0:09:58.840 --> 0:10:02.520 if m of himself and Andrew both won their first 0:10:02.600 --> 0:10:05.840 round match, they would have met each other, which already 0:10:05.840 --> 0:10:09.000 you're thinking, oh, that's unfortunate because you really don't want 0:10:09.040 --> 0:10:10.959 them to meet. I'm great friends with Andrew as well, 0:10:11.040 --> 0:10:15.920 so um, we saw that would happen, and obviously unfortunately 0:10:15.960 --> 0:10:18.680 Andrew lost his first round match, but it was great 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:20.800 that he could then, I mean for him to offer 0:10:20.880 --> 0:10:23.120 to stay in Caddy for Laard. I'm not sure he 0:10:23.200 --> 0:10:25.440 knew quite how long he was getting in getting in 0:10:25.559 --> 0:10:28.840 for but he um, yeah, that was so so nice 0:10:28.840 --> 0:10:31.000 of him to offer to stay stay up there and 0:10:31.120 --> 0:10:34.200 Caddy and um, I think it was nicer for me 0:10:34.280 --> 0:10:37.400 knowing that they had Andrew there on the bag meet 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:41.439 Andrew Davidson, winner of the Welsh Opening. We were staying 0:10:41.440 --> 0:10:43.600 with each other, so the night before we knew that 0:10:44.160 --> 0:10:47.000 if we both wanted, we'd play each other, which was 0:10:47.040 --> 0:10:50.040 actually weird because we played the British Amateur last year 0:10:50.760 --> 0:10:53.160 and if the same thing happened, we would have played 0:10:53.160 --> 0:10:56.360 each other again, I think the last year. But we 0:10:56.440 --> 0:10:59.600 both got beat last year in the first round. Okay, 0:10:59.600 --> 0:11:01.920 so I ended up getting beat on the in the 0:11:01.960 --> 0:11:05.080 first round, so and I was still we had the 0:11:05.080 --> 0:11:08.000 place for the next night, so I was like, wow, 0:11:08.559 --> 0:11:10.319 I'll just stay up tomorrow and if you want to 0:11:10.320 --> 0:11:12.760 make Cardie then I'll Cardy tomorrow and see, just see 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:14.680 what happens, not really thinking anything all but at the 0:11:14.720 --> 0:11:17.079 time just I was like, well, I'm gonna be here, 0:11:17.120 --> 0:11:20.280 so I might as well. I would usually come home, 0:11:20.320 --> 0:11:24.840 and the anger actually so quite surprised I've stayed Andrew 0:11:24.920 --> 0:11:30.920 Nie of Scotland is ranked in the world. Andrew McCardy said, 0:11:32.080 --> 0:11:34.480 you know when we turn up tomorrow. In the first 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:36.360 two year, this guy's can be thinking, wait a minute, 0:11:36.440 --> 0:11:40.200 I got ready yesterday I said that to Lardy back, 0:11:41.120 --> 0:11:42.840 what's going on here? I got rid of him yesterday. 0:11:42.880 --> 0:11:48.320 He's back again. But I knew, well, I don't know 0:11:48.360 --> 0:11:50.280 what if you're going to commute the sense, but I 0:11:50.360 --> 0:11:53.640 just knew that Lard was probably going to beat the 0:11:53.640 --> 0:11:56.360 guy because the guy played well against me. But I 0:11:56.480 --> 0:11:59.680 just had a feeling that Lard would would be beating him. 0:11:59.720 --> 0:12:01.040 So I was like, well, if he gets to hand, 0:12:01.120 --> 0:12:05.120 then there's another guy dispatched. Let's see what happens in 0:12:05.200 --> 0:12:08.160 the next It was good, and you know, I know 0:12:08.320 --> 0:12:11.920 that Andrew need had played well to be be my 0:12:11.920 --> 0:12:15.040 my friend day before, so you know, you know, I 0:12:15.120 --> 0:12:18.800 knew what was what was coming, and just yeah, find 0:12:18.840 --> 0:12:24.200 ful to got that that jopped on again relatively stress free. 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:28.400 So Shepherd beat me two and one, which, for those 0:12:28.440 --> 0:12:31.360 of you don't understand match play scoring, that basically means 0:12:31.520 --> 0:12:34.840 Shepherd was up two holes. There was only one hole 0:12:34.920 --> 0:12:38.680 to play game over, which brings us to the round 0:12:38.679 --> 0:12:43.959 of sixteen. His opponent was Aaron Edwards Hill in the 0:12:44.000 --> 0:12:48.120 World Amateur rankings. Edwards Hill has three wins in the 0:12:48.200 --> 0:12:51.439 last two years. I knew he plays for He's in 0:12:52.000 --> 0:12:54.720 an England golf squad, so he's a national squad, so 0:12:54.960 --> 0:12:57.080 he's a good player. Um I hadn't know. It's a 0:12:57.080 --> 0:12:59.680 guy that I've seen his name around behind I haven't 0:12:59.679 --> 0:13:06.520 met before. But yeah, great player, um I I probably, 0:13:06.640 --> 0:13:08.800 but that was probably the best match I played all week. 0:13:09.600 --> 0:13:12.160 I did not miss a shot. I mean, I was 0:13:12.160 --> 0:13:14.760 saying to my Caddy it was like it was like 0:13:15.000 --> 0:13:17.920 playing a computer game, you know. I would say, I'm 0:13:17.920 --> 0:13:19.560 going to hit this shot on this target and I'm 0:13:19.600 --> 0:13:22.600 gonna bend it five yards this projection, and I do 0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:25.439 and uh yeah, I just played really solid and really 0:13:25.480 --> 0:13:27.720 ever give Aaron a chance to get back in the match, 0:13:27.840 --> 0:13:31.880 so ends up winning on and just like Teter Green, 0:13:31.920 --> 0:13:34.200 it was just like an absolute strike show. The guy 0:13:34.280 --> 0:13:37.240 he was playing must have felt like a little kid. 0:13:39.200 --> 0:13:42.679 Shephard beats Edwards Hill four and three and now they 0:13:42.679 --> 0:13:45.880 need to scramble to find another place to stay. Shepherd 0:13:45.920 --> 0:13:49.400 and Davidson stayed in four different places that week. On 0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:53.240 Thursday night, they stayed with Dean Robertson, their coach from Sterling, 0:13:53.280 --> 0:13:55.040 who had been in town for the first few days 0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:58.800 of the amateur Robertson not only knew Shepherd's game, he 0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:03.160 knows the game winner of Italian Open. He has brought 0:14:03.240 --> 0:14:06.640 sterling to another level of excellence. His pet talk space 0:14:06.720 --> 0:14:09.200 key include telling you how good you are, and that 0:14:09.320 --> 0:14:12.040 usually works coming from someone who knows what we're talking about. 0:14:12.080 --> 0:14:15.120 And I knew when he was watching me play he 0:14:15.200 --> 0:14:18.120 was thinking, this is what I remember this guy being like, 0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:21.520 you know, I did just play so well that that 0:14:21.560 --> 0:14:25.040 match on Thursday afternoon, and that filmed me a lot 0:14:25.080 --> 0:14:27.000 of confidence. It's quite nice to sort of take a 0:14:27.040 --> 0:14:29.680 trip down memory lane and tend like I'm still at 0:14:29.720 --> 0:14:32.640 university and helped me out with the place to stay 0:14:32.680 --> 0:14:35.960 and some some very wise words and how I was 0:14:36.000 --> 0:14:40.720 going to go and best tackle the next few days. Meanwhile, 0:14:41.200 --> 0:14:43.760 Chloe was in St. Andrew's trying to figure out when 0:14:43.840 --> 0:14:47.720 she makes the trip up north on the Thursday evening. 0:14:47.760 --> 0:14:50.040 I think it must have been or or early on 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:52.880 the Friday morning, and he was like, you know, I 0:14:52.880 --> 0:14:54.400 don't want you to come up and not see a 0:14:54.440 --> 0:14:56.760 lot of golf. If you only get up there, you know, 0:14:56.840 --> 0:14:59.680 halfway through the morning match, and if I lose them 0:14:59.800 --> 0:15:02.480 you might only see light nine holes of gold for whatever. 0:15:02.560 --> 0:15:04.160 And I was like, obviously I want to be there 0:15:04.200 --> 0:15:06.560 if he's in the Sammy's And it was kind of 0:15:06.600 --> 0:15:09.040 a difficult one because it's like a three hour drives 0:15:09.040 --> 0:15:12.520 from here here in St. Andrew's. So so he said, 0:15:12.640 --> 0:15:15.400 I'd just leave it until tomorrow if I make the final, 0:15:15.720 --> 0:15:18.680 come and come and watch. And I thought, okay, he 0:15:18.760 --> 0:15:21.440 said that, so I'll just leave him to it. She 0:15:21.720 --> 0:15:26.200 left him to Sam Barstow, another Englishman who won twice 0:15:26.400 --> 0:15:30.200 since and has ranked a hundred and in the World 0:15:30.240 --> 0:15:33.640 of Amateurs. Okay, I mean, Sam Um is a really 0:15:33.760 --> 0:15:37.280 nice guy. I think the match play it's it's usually 0:15:38.400 --> 0:15:41.440 it's usually helpful if you're playing someone that isn't nice guy, 0:15:41.600 --> 0:15:44.000 because just so fire you up a little bit or 0:15:44.360 --> 0:15:46.840 you know, I don't know, it's there's less sort of 0:15:48.480 --> 0:15:51.680 there's less emotion there. You just want to beat them badly. 0:15:51.760 --> 0:15:55.560 But also I wanted to beat Sammie. He's nice guy, 0:15:56.160 --> 0:15:59.640 great player, you know. He actually he yesterday I think 0:15:59.640 --> 0:16:03.040 it was qualified for the open through final squalify and 0:16:03.040 --> 0:16:07.200 he shot nine under five under or something. You know. 0:16:07.840 --> 0:16:11.480 It's a great player. So yeah, I mean I was 0:16:11.640 --> 0:16:15.160 straight down early in that match and was maybe looking 0:16:15.160 --> 0:16:18.360 at going four down through six and that that would 0:16:18.360 --> 0:16:23.320 have been a tough battle, but ended up coming coming 0:16:23.320 --> 0:16:27.240 back and being all square after I think it was 0:16:27.520 --> 0:16:29.520 ten of eleven holes and it was very tight from 0:16:29.520 --> 0:16:32.840 now and in and then just managed to make you 0:16:32.920 --> 0:16:35.720 squeezed the last hole with a with a par and 0:16:36.080 --> 0:16:40.119 get through. And you know, the more stuff that happened 0:16:40.160 --> 0:16:43.920 like that that week, the more I thought that maybe 0:16:43.960 --> 0:16:48.080 this is sort of like meant to be. So I 0:16:48.120 --> 0:16:50.200 was thinking, really, I was like, oh, it looks like 0:16:50.240 --> 0:16:52.600 the games back now. I didn't really shame the head 0:16:52.600 --> 0:16:53.960 to him, but I was thinking in my head, I 0:16:54.000 --> 0:16:57.080 was like, if he keeps playing like that, then there's 0:16:57.120 --> 0:17:00.480 no reason as to why this can happen. Like I 0:17:00.560 --> 0:17:02.640 was thinking that, Like I'm not just saying that, Like 0:17:02.760 --> 0:17:05.879 I was thinking, you've got a great chance with the 0:17:05.920 --> 0:17:08.280 way you're setting that. And by that time, you know 0:17:08.440 --> 0:17:11.119 you are fatiguing as well. You've played a lot of golf, 0:17:11.160 --> 0:17:15.000 and um, you know it's it's something you always talk about, 0:17:15.040 --> 0:17:17.639 but obviously only people that get that far really know 0:17:17.840 --> 0:17:21.960 what it's like to have got seven eight rounds already 0:17:21.960 --> 0:17:24.879 done that week, and you're still battling and every match 0:17:24.960 --> 0:17:27.639 is more important and every match it's got more so 0:17:27.800 --> 0:17:31.359 wait to it, so um, just to slip through on 0:17:31.480 --> 0:17:35.480 a team, there was this huge Yeah. Shepherd was starting 0:17:35.480 --> 0:17:39.919 to believe again, not just in his play, but in 0:17:39.960 --> 0:17:42.199 the idea that he could win. I think just the 0:17:42.240 --> 0:17:47.160 way I was playing was the most fulfilling a bit, 0:17:47.240 --> 0:17:50.280 because I was playing under a bit of pressure and 0:17:50.320 --> 0:17:53.080 I was playing well, and I was proven to myself 0:17:53.160 --> 0:17:57.040 that you know, these skills haven't left me. I've still 0:17:57.240 --> 0:17:59.680 got the ability to do what I need to do. 0:17:59.720 --> 0:18:02.240 And every time I cool my my parents after one 0:18:02.280 --> 0:18:05.920 and talking about about, you know, the match, I'd say, 0:18:06.080 --> 0:18:08.880 you know, they begin happy because they know how much 0:18:08.960 --> 0:18:12.239 I've been through. My mom's getting sort of emotional, and 0:18:13.600 --> 0:18:15.359 you know, I'm like, I've still got a match to 0:18:15.359 --> 0:18:18.000 play this afternoon, so we can't get too excited. We 0:18:18.080 --> 0:18:20.360 just gotta go and play that match. And I think 0:18:20.400 --> 0:18:22.959 that that helped me sort of keep feet on the ground, 0:18:23.080 --> 0:18:27.399 and you know, it was it was a blessing. So so, 0:18:27.520 --> 0:18:31.760 Shepherd has played practice rounds two stroke play qualifiers. He 0:18:31.840 --> 0:18:34.560 has won four matches and he's down to the semifinal 0:18:34.640 --> 0:18:39.040 match on Friday afternoon. The man between Shepherd and the 0:18:39.080 --> 0:18:43.320 final is Jack Dyer. I mean Jackie. Obviously he played 0:18:43.359 --> 0:18:46.160 Walker up in May. You know, I think he wanted 0:18:46.240 --> 0:18:49.239 singles match as well, so don't hold me to that, 0:18:49.280 --> 0:18:52.879 but I think you did a great player. Um you 0:18:52.920 --> 0:18:56.240 know Racil player he played in in the events and 0:18:56.280 --> 0:19:00.399 George's I've played last Yearny won by six seven shops, 0:19:00.440 --> 0:19:03.720 so um, you know, I knew this guy was serious. 0:19:03.760 --> 0:19:07.480 So you know it was fun to go and play 0:19:07.640 --> 0:19:11.159 against someone who's obviously playing very well. And he I 0:19:11.160 --> 0:19:13.520 think he was second qualifier as well, so he was 0:19:13.600 --> 0:19:17.000 he was creatly playing great. Dire of England did in 0:19:17.080 --> 0:19:19.640 fact win a singles match at the Walker Cup at 0:19:19.640 --> 0:19:24.640 Seminole earlier this year. He beat Tyler Strafacci, who won 0:19:24.720 --> 0:19:27.600 the U S Amateur Abandoned Dunes and the North and 0:19:27.680 --> 0:19:33.080 South at Pinehurst. Needless to say, Dire was a favorite 0:19:33.640 --> 0:19:39.399 and it was again a tight match for um. I 0:19:39.480 --> 0:19:42.840 saw catched up down eighteen and and did something that 0:19:42.920 --> 0:19:46.840 I've probably never really done before. Um And and for me, 0:19:46.960 --> 0:19:49.960 I was proved to myself that I was I was clutched. 0:19:50.080 --> 0:19:53.800 I had to know how you put that into better terminology, 0:19:53.920 --> 0:19:57.440 but proven to myself that you know when I when 0:19:57.440 --> 0:20:00.160 you need to just to stand up there and had 0:20:00.160 --> 0:20:04.440 a great golf shot, but I could accept the repercussions. 0:20:04.440 --> 0:20:07.320 Have just sort of putting on the line. And yeah, 0:20:07.400 --> 0:20:11.480 Layers played well that round. Heat again, he could have 0:20:11.960 --> 0:20:16.359 he could have easily won. I don't know, four and three, 0:20:16.440 --> 0:20:18.320 five and four, But I think that's just the pressure 0:20:19.040 --> 0:20:20.760 of the situation got to him a wee bit, and 0:20:20.760 --> 0:20:25.159 he was making some silly mistakes and got they were 0:20:25.160 --> 0:20:28.399 all scared going down eyteen again. And there's a bit 0:20:28.400 --> 0:20:31.320 of a story here. A jacket hit two on tea 0:20:31.680 --> 0:20:36.040 um because says Bankers this perfectly driver distance. So he 0:20:36.400 --> 0:20:38.440 did too, and I knew that he had to then 0:20:38.560 --> 0:20:40.879 lay up from where he was, so he then laid up. 0:20:42.520 --> 0:20:45.199 I'd hit driver, and I perhapsly tried to hit it 0:20:45.440 --> 0:20:48.560 left of the left bunkers, so basically into the into 0:20:48.560 --> 0:20:50.399 the rough. I mean, it wasn't that thick. It was. 0:20:50.520 --> 0:20:52.879 It was sort of you know, you could catch a 0:20:52.880 --> 0:20:56.480 decent line and gamble on that, and fortunately did get 0:20:56.520 --> 0:20:59.879 decently so and Jack layed up in two and layered. 0:21:00.000 --> 0:21:02.760 We had like two seven seven he head. I think 0:21:02.960 --> 0:21:04.919 he lays at it and it was like two twenty 0:21:04.960 --> 0:21:07.560 over a bunker into the wind out of rough. My 0:21:07.640 --> 0:21:09.920 carrier was still telling me to lay up. He didn't 0:21:09.960 --> 0:21:13.399 like he didn't like three without the rof. But it 0:21:13.520 --> 0:21:16.040 was sitting okay, and I just I just saw a 0:21:16.080 --> 0:21:19.159 shot that I knew I could pull off and and 0:21:19.200 --> 0:21:22.120 I was like, Oh, do you want to just lay 0:21:22.200 --> 0:21:25.200 up here short of a bunker and take your chance 0:21:25.280 --> 0:21:28.800 with the wedge And he's like no, He's like no, 0:21:28.880 --> 0:21:31.199 I'm just gonna go for it. I've just got to 0:21:31.200 --> 0:21:33.760 stand up, he said. I just got to stand up 0:21:33.800 --> 0:21:36.080 and just had a good shot. You've got to take 0:21:36.119 --> 0:21:38.200 this chance spendence here. And I was like, well, fair enough, 0:21:38.440 --> 0:21:40.840 and I was like right, just make sure you had 0:21:40.840 --> 0:21:43.200 a good one. I couldn't even watch the shot because 0:21:43.200 --> 0:21:45.560 I was kind of like, I'm going to be so 0:21:45.600 --> 0:21:47.720 annoyed if he if he makes a mess of this. 0:21:47.840 --> 0:21:50.359 Now it's like if he just gets the whole because 0:21:50.680 --> 0:21:52.080