Laird

Shepherd

Last week, the 24-year-old Shepherd was one of 16 amateurs in the field at the U.S. Open, where he missed the cut in his tournament debut. He had earned his spot in the field at Brookline as the winner of the 126th Amateur Championship at Nairn Golf Club in Scotland, where he defeated Monty Scowsill in 38 holes. Shepherd trailed by eight holes midway through the championship match and rallied from 4 down with four holes to play. The win also got him into the 2021 Open Championship and the 2022 Masters but he missed the cut in both. He also played in the 2022 Georgia Cup, the tournament that pits the winners of the previous year’s U.S. Amateur and Amateur Championship at Georgia Golf Club, losing 1 down to James Piot. Shepherd is playing this week on a tournament invite, and he’ll look to make his second cut in a DPWT event after finishing 68th in the 2021 Cazoo Classic.

The 24-year-old Shepherd earned his spot in the field as the winner of the 126th Amateur Championship at Nairn Golf Club in Scotland, defeating Monty Scowsill in 38 holes. Shepherd trailed by eight holes midway through the championship match and rallied from 4 down with four holes to play. He made winning birdies on the 33rd and 35th holes. “Honestly, at lunch I thought this was over,” said Shepherd. “I was just trying to avoid an embarrassing score line.” He got to the final by beating Walker Cup player Jack Dyer in the semifinals. When he won, he ranked 846th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. The win got him into The Open, where he missed the cut, and the 2022 Masters and the 2022 U.S. Open provided he remained amateur. Shepherd missed the cut in the Masters in April, and he lost in the Georgia Cup, 1 down, to James Piot, in the tournament that pits the winners of the previous year’s U.S. Amateur and Amateur Championship at Georgia Golf Club.

The 30-year-old Higgs finished 69th over the weekend at the Charles Schwab Challenge, where he opened with a 69 for his best round of the week, and steadily lost ground following rounds of 71 and 75 before ballooning to an 80 in the final round. On the season, Higgs has made 12 cuts in 22 starts with one top 10 (T-9, CJ Cup @ Summit). Hickock, also 30, missed the cut at the Charles Schwab after shooting 71-71. He’s made nine cuts in 22 starts this season with one top 10 (fourth, Houston Open). This week will mark his tournament debut at Muirfield Village. In other field updates on Monday, Sam Ryder (MC at Schwab) moved into the field after England’s Laird Shepherd withdrew.