Make no mistake: Laird Shepherd is an incredibly talented amateur golfer and we are not here to make fun of him.
He won the British Amateur Championship last year when he came back from four holes down with four to play in the 36-hole match-play final to force a playoff. He then prevailed on the second extra hole. That’s how he got into the 2022 Masters. He can play.
But the 24-year-old Englishman, who lives in St Andrews, struggled on his debut at Augusta National – rounds of 81-85 left him at 22-over-par and a certainty to miss the weekend. Only the top 50 players and ties after two rounds make the cut at Augusta.
The fierce winds, lightning quick greens and tough pins wreaking havoc on the field during Friday’s second round, Shepherd double-bogeyed the first hole before adding four more bogeys on the front nine.
He then doubled the 10th and bogeyed the 11th before a lone birdie for the day at the par-5 13th. Five straight bogeys coming home ensured a second score in the 80s.
Golf is hard.
