I've been lucky. I've done not just in Gulf. I've been a seven Olympic Games and soccer World Cups and all sorts of stuff in my career, all the Ryder Cups, all the Open Championships, all the Masters that I was lucky enough to attend, great memories. I've been the luckiest guy in the world. But I'll tell you what. Up there, we're watching Tiger's first winner Augusta and my fellow Scott Polori winning the Open at Canoosi and all the others.
The Amateur Championship Final twenty one is absolutely up there as all a date. Never to forget. Put another log on the fire are here? Give the time? Welcome to the fire pit with Matt Janella. Wow again. All of this, all of these parts that we put together, goes back to a features meeting the week of the U S Open. Colt Nedler chimes in with did you guys hear what happened at the British Amateur Championship wild? A few days later? Colt had a day and time in which we'd get
to zoom with Laird Shepherd from St. Andrew's. Shepherd gave us two and a half hours and we were down the rabbit hole of one of the most compelling stories I've ever tried to tell. Nine interviews included both competitors, their dad's a girlfriend, We heard from two announcers, and Tom Bailey, who, over a chance encounter in December, set Shepherd on a path to a life altering adventure. If you're here, I can assume you've listened to all three
parts of this podcast. Part one is the backstory to Laird Shepherd's life engulf which included years of back pain and some knee surgeries. Chloe Goadby, Laird's girlfriend of three years, has been there through the tough times. There's some long winters over in Scotland here, so you know, dark nights, cold winters, and I think you know, spending days on and just we lived together one winter at university and just spending days in the flat where he can't go
and play golf because of because of his knee. I think was probably some of the toughest times for him. In Part two, Shepherd gets in the Amateur Championship at Nairn as thirtieth alternate. We take you through the stroke play and the five matches that get Shepherd into the finals. I mean, I asked the best probably golf shot I've
ever hit under that that's of pressure. That was pretty cool, and I was sort of walking after it and maccady was having the gird at me because he's like, you need to calm down, so you need to come back to the bag and take a cup of water. And he didn't let me take my part out until we
got to the green. And in part three, it's the last eighteen holes of the final, Shepherd starts around seven down to Montes Scousel, a friend and worthy competitor who was playing an extended stretch of the best golf of his life. That's exactly right, like all those hours you put in and Um, as you know, golf is a strange game. You can put in all the hours in the world and you can shoot eight and sometimes you don't play for a week and you shoot sixty five.
It's a strange game. But you just hope that all the work you put in willcome good at some point. And for me, that's what that week was about. UM haven't been too many torments in the past where I really gone through the whole week feeling like I had basically my a game or or somewhere near my a game. But but the Amateur was one of those weeks and
I think like that's given me such confidence. But I can do that over such a long spell of golf and you know, on the fitest side of things as well, it's thirty six hours a day, um, and that sort of under that mental pressure as well. UM, A lot of elements that got in got into being able to
do something like that, you know, during that week. And before we get to what we consider Part four, which will include further reflections on back pain, bad yardge, clutch putts, the incredible comeback and an inspiring display of sportsmanship, we just need to thank our friends at link soul for their support. As you probably know by now, it's all I wear on and off the course. If John Ashworth
makes it, I'm in it. And if you want to wear some of it as well, go to link soul dot com, use promo code fire Pit and enjoy a discount on your next purchase. In this podcast, I'll be circling back with the cast of characters as they all reflect on what transpired at the Amateur Championship at Nairn Golf Club. We start with Stewart Shepherd, Laird's father who made the trip up and walked all thirty eight holes to watch his son become the Amateur champion and one
of the biggest things. Also winning the Amateur's huge. But the fact you meant to play nine competitive rounds of golf and still be okay um and he's still touchwood okay uh was you know, almost as much as winning the thing. So we're hopeful, But there were some very dark days. To be fair, just don't think he had
the structure to play in the game. Again, I keep going back to the fact that if Laird Shepherd doesn't go home to his grandfather's funeral in December, if he doesn't bump into his buddy Tom Bailey, what becomes of Laird Shepherd the golfer. Here's Tom Bailey. I think, let's be honest, like that's unbelievable coming back from night down. But I think the biggest comeback is him him being able to play, yes, get and get into the final. But I think that would we would have worked out
about eleven rounds of both. I think he played that week, improving the practice and all the holes he played, and to play all of that without paying. Unbelievable to win mid Virus, to hit your Masters and Open in the US. I've been even bigger moments one more time from Shepherd's father, who has seen his son play a lot of great golf, but nothing quite like the home stretch on Saturday in Scotland. There was like a man possessed for the last nine
nine holes. I mean he holds everything. They had. Look on his face, he never thought he was gonna miss when he needed a shot. A chip he hit at the half four year to win the fifteenth that was down slope up to the green. Um just incredibly good shot. I thought, wow, I mean he's he's definitely on it. And the shot into seventeen three or four ft whatever it was, that that was phenomenal. He just was on rails, so he just yeah, it was just incredible to see.
Andrew Davidson is Laird's friend from University of Sterling who lost in the first round of match play and then stayed to caddy for Shephard. I asked Davidson what he takes away from such a special week and ochre golf. He's achieved quite a lot, but he never really wanted anything and he's seen a few like me and another friend of ours pretty close to them when something like a few years ago, and that probably gave hun belief
as well that it was possible. But winning the Amateur Championship compared to winning any of these other tournaments, which realistically aren't much different and in strength, but the winning the Amateur Championships so much bigger than winning anything else. And I suppose what I take from it's just that you just got to keep believing in and literally just just keep going because you never know what can happen,
and walks around the corner. Gold is crazy game you can't win often take golf, but you just gotta keep believing that as possible and and just keep trying. Like that's literally what me and Lard kept saying is just keep giving it your own and if you as long as you do that, then what does that matter what happens at the end, Just like you might as well, you just gotta keep trying to trying to try, and and it's nice was it's just belief. This main thing
I te tape from it. I think did you hear about Andrew giving Laird the wrong yardage on the first playoff? Hold purposely because he thought he didn't want Laird to gas it over the green. I didn't heard that one. Well, if that's so, he's definitely earned his non fee. I asked Chloe Goby, Laird's girlfriend in recent winner of the Women's Scottish Amateur, about Andrew purposely giving Laird bad yardage
on the first playoff hole. Andrew told me this, I can't remember whether it was on our way back to the clubhouse after lairded one or whether Yeah, I can't remember when it was, but it was definitely before I lared kW about it, and and he says today, yeah, I told him that it was only seven to one when it was actually sev And I'm like what, And he said, well, I just knew he'd been a adrenaline going and you just can't go along with that pen.
And I thought, yeah, that's a smart, smart Caddy move, but potentially I could get you in trouble that one. But yeah, that's hilarious. I couldn't believe you did that. And I just found it so funny. And when did you tell him? You told him to run after I told him. I would never have told him ever if he if he had lost. He would never have known. But I could have taken that to your grave. Oh yeah,
I would have felt so bad. But at the time it was definitely the right thing to do, because you're just piling the pressure another guy because you know that he lays probably not going to make boggy from there. So it's crazy. You couldn't think of a better man to have on your bag, um, and some of like that, because he's so down to earth. He's a fantastic lad
and yeah he's Um. He did a great job. And I mean he did a great job a week because obviously he lost in the sixt Us round and then took over the bag and every every time I spoke to lead and it's still there, isn't me. He's going to be there on Saturday, isn't me. You won't be doing this on your own. So yeah, now he's brilliant. Unfortunately I can't carry it the open I'm getting married the day after got it, so he so I can't carry it though, devastated because in the way COVID is
up here, we can't. I can't rest going down and getting tracked and traced or whatever. Ka, So I've had to pass the boots over to someone else for that, but I'll be back in the game at the Masters. Really, is that what's gonna happen? Yeah, I told him that I was in the small print the night before, but the night before the finals, like you went back, will be cardying there. It's However, Laird Shepherd's caddy at the Open Championship is James Wilson, another college teammate from the
University of Sterling. The plan is on Sunday, assuming Shepherd makes the cut, Laird Chloe and James Wilson, we'll all pile in a car and race off to Andrew's wedding. As for Mr Shepherd, he's still processing the benefits of Laird winning the Amateur Championship. It's a gift that keeps giving giving. And I've always wanted to go to Augusta.
I just just I mean, we were there a few years ago at a King because he went to look at a couple of universities again the States, and we went to a King was only half a half an hour from Augusta, and I thought just looked the gates that we didn't in the end thought was a bit pointless and frustrating. But you know, I've always I'd love to just go and see it. I'd love to have
gone to go to the Masters. But the thought of going to the Masters and watching your son play God winning it happens is just if that's that's probably the most the most thing to come to terms. But I mean, next week playing the Open is pretty special because Saint George's is the nearest open venue to where we live, and we both played there quite a lot. But yeah, that the thought of going to the Masters is just extraordinary.
If you've listened to all three parts of this podcast, I'm guessing you can't help but root for money scoutle to continue doing great things in life. Hang off. I mean, you know obviously, um, you know, I really wanted my name on that trophy, and um, it's yeah, it's hard. It's harder the last the last couple of weeks, certainly the two days after it was really really tough. You know, um, quite a few tears and it's just a bit of
a bit of gentle sobbing. But but actually I woke up on the Tuesday morning and I thought, hey, if someone had offered me second place on the Monday morning, is I was stepping on that first team heading into an absolute hurricane, I probably would have taken it. And and certainly for for my career going forward, you know, this will hopefully open a few doors for me, but also just the confidence it's given me that I can, um,
I can really push forward in is this. This's been my career and it's something I've always sort of battled with myself. You know, are you good enough? Um? Do you want it hard enough? And and this is this is a firm all of those sort of doubts to me that yeah I do. Um, and this is gonna this is gonna make me and not break me. Um. And like you said, you know, the runners up list of guys who have gone on has been pretty impressive.
So if I can you know, following their footsteps in any any sense, then I'll hopefully have a great career. So um, overall, I mean, it was such a brilliant week and you know, I'm delighted for Lead. It couldn't have happened to a better guy, really couldn't. And all the opportunities coming his way. UM, Yeah, I just hope he brings me something back from AUGUSTA, maybe maybe like a flag or something. I don't know. I saw that with him. I'm sure you will. They see, apples don't
fall very far from the tree. Well, when money Scousle told me his father is his favorite person to play golf with, I lost it. I guess that's because I'm a fairly new dad and that's every golfing father's dream. Are you more proud of how he played in terms of his golf or are you more proud and how he conducted himself as a sportsman and a class act when it was all said and done. Um, I think probably the latter. I think probably because that that was
the biggest test of all. I think he golf is something that he'll he'll go back and he'll he'll play lots more golf and he'll hopefully get better and better. But I think on on the biggest day of his golfing life, I think it was he showed a lot of He made a lot of friends that day in terms of everyone who was there watched it. Um, I think amongst it was difficult amongst all all the friends
back home we were watching it. U You know, so several have written to us, and indeed, you know we've had He's had some lovely notes from very senior people within the R and A have written to to say how impressed they were the way he handled himself, both on and offer and off the course. And I'm not sure he probably won't have told you because we just received an email today from men who have asked him to become an honorary member, which is which is a
very very special thing to have happened. Um, And so I think I think of anything, I think, I can't help but think that there's nothing you could be more proud about than have something as fabulous as that. Needless to say, being impressed by young Scoutle's sportsmanship was unanimous. For a Monted be able to in the moment put everything else aside and act like that, I mean that just shows so much more about his character than anython will And I mean it couldn't have been better handled
in that situation. Do you think you can't even imagine how you deal with that and you know the raw motion, how do you, you know, put that aside and actually be a sportsman and show respectful loud. I mean it was pretty incredible. And you know, Monty is a great guy, and you know he's come through a lot as well, and he's really progressed in the last few years. Having seen him play years ago, and you know, I think obviously you know what it would have meant to him
as well. It would have been life changing for either of them. Yeah, I think for him to be that way was really special too, Loud and I think it meant a lot to him as well. So thanks again to George Harper Jr. Dog Danally and the entire broadcast
team who called the live stream for the RNA. And wasn't the reaction of the two guys, Matt absolutely wonderful As you said that that they know each other, the buddies, the room together, all of that, but still there is one who feels like the bottom has dropped out of his world. The other gay just can't believe he have won the British Sanita Championship. But there was a genuinely warm hug between them, wasn't there, And that they all
stayed buddies. Of course they will um, but I just thought of it summed up this this wonderful game, that there is always that that empathy between the contestants, isn't there. I asked both dads to talk about the other son. This is Stewart Shepherd on Monty Scousel. I think the pressure was having an effect, but you're right he didn't give it away. I mean the parts the hold at sixteen and seventeen to make leadhole, his parts at sixteen
and seventeen were just heroic in the circumstances. He definitely didn't give it away. I mean, you know, I don't know what his score was, three or four over the afternoon, so you know it's not like he shot eighty something. Um. I mean, you've seen people in that sort of position actually melt I'm not going to name names, but you know there's been people and that's the tuation who just cannot being able to cope with a pressure. But no, Monty,
I don't think it was Monty. I'm sure it had had a little bit of an effect, but it wasn't a meltdown by anything. Here was Jeremy Scousel on Laird Shepherd. It was it was tough because he had to hold a couple of good eight ten foot cuts the hold, which had he missed one of them would have would
have ended up in a him losing. So it was it was tremendous and I dropped the note afterwards and said that was you know, that was really courageous and fantastic, fantastic comeback, and it was I mean he was really he was playing. They're probably both playing good golf, but Laird was playing exceptional golf under that sort of pressure, because there must have been a stage, and I know he went out after lunch thinking, well, I've got no need to lose here. Um, I just wanted to make
sure that I'm not embarrassed. But there would have come a stage in his own mind, and I'm sure he's explained that to you. Probably that he would have thought, actually I remember the chance here, um, and in the once he hit that frame frame mind to continue playing. The quality of golf golf that he did was was pretty exceptional. They were both very impressive. Yeah, and yeah, the sportsmanship, the speed they played, um great, great that
I thought. And obviously they produced a bit of excitement as well. So a good stress, stressful ift you closely involved, but happy, happy ending. And of course some reflections from the reigning amateur champion Laird Shepherd. Have you watched it all, um? I watched almost all that. I actually haven't watched the
last the last six or seven holes. But I watched the first the first eight team, and that wasn't great watching still still thinking how fine, but winning an um, Yeah, that would be nice to be able to going and look back and anytime you're struggling with the game or feeling a bit low, you can go back and and see yourself performing under the greatest pressure. And I think that's what sports all about in the end, as those pressure moments, they pressure builds, builds diamonds. It molds, molds
you into who you are. And yeah, just just thankful that I end up going going my way that day's lard. If you had reconnected with money since the amateur, I said to him, you know, I'm looking forward to hopefully playing with you and some some England teams if if we both get picked, which hopefully we do, and you know, I'd love to play four sums with you. And yeah, just I mean, I'm a person who doesn't I don't have a big, sort of wide group of friends or
a white of social social group. I'm relatively introverted and I find a lot of people annoying. I have no problems to him that, especially in golf, and there's there's you know, I don't. I don't find a lot of people I can spend a lot of time with them and not get annoyed by them. But Monty is certainly one of the good guys. For me, that's more important
than anything. So we had a phone call, um must have been last week at some point end of last week, and just just sharing our stories on how weeks have been. And I think the thing we both said to each other's dude, you as knackid as I am. I mean, I don't think either of us got out of bed for four or five days. We were just shattered the emotional like how draining it was emotionally and obviously physically
on our bodies. So yeah, it was really nice to chat to him, and you know, he was doing well and he's sort of obviously getting prepped now for the open and and those opportunities coming his way. So yeah, it was really nice to chat. And actually too, we kind of said to each other, you know, regardless of the result, to share that day together, Um, it's certainly something that will be in mine and and his memory
bank for the rest of our lives. And actually the fact both our families were there as well was super special and um, it's not something that actually many people get to experience something of that magnitude, and we were just very grateful to have shared it together and certainly it will it will bond us for life. I guess it's as good friends. Yes, it's pretty crazy, man, I've said obviously to my dad. Actually the evening after one I said, if I never do anything else in golf,
that was that will do. That's pretty cool, isn't it. And I say that probably less of that mindset now, because you know, it's always I'm I am who I am, and it's the next challenge and looking forward to the next thing. But you have got also just think, you know, that was pretty special and having you know the amount of people that have come up to me the last two weeks and just said well done, because if you caught it on live stream, and that's been pretty weird
as well. You know, you feel like a celebrity almost. But I don't really know how to how to sort of go about dealing with that because I'm certainly not you know, I'm not bothered about anything else that comes with being good at golf apart from being good at golf. Um, But it's it's it's fun. You know, you've got doing stuff like this is all new as well, and being able to tell a little bit of my story is it's been fun. You know, if if just one person
finds it interesting, then that's great for me. So but it's all been really cool, different experiences, learning different skills, and if if my future is not playing professional golf, then winning this tournament has probably taught me a lot of stuff that will helped me away from from that environment as well. So to see him lifted amateur trove was was surreal. As the word you used earlier, you know,
it didn't see it coming. I mean, I was hopeful he would progress on the last two tournaments and I felt it really had the talent if his body would allow him to express it as it were, um, but to go and win it and in the circumstances, yeah, it was absolutely surreal and it's been It's obviously it's changed his life in the last few weeks. You know that the program that you know, we sort of had set out for the year has gone through kind of out the windows. It were as as somebody said, you know,
once you win the amateur you stop. We stopped playing professional events rather than amateur events, So yeah, it's changed changed out. But no, it's extremely extremely proud of him. I don't know how to put it. Like he kind of said something along the lines of, you know, I think if he never achieves anything else, he no one can take that away from him. And that's something that
he'll hold voice obviously for a very long time. And obviously he hopes to do more in the game and hopefully it will taken to new levels and with all these opportunities. But you know, too, I think it's he kind of thinks like it was me that, Like he has to think like it was like Shepherd that did that, Like that was me. Um. I think he made me feels like it was a different person, but it was
it was all him. So yeah, to be a part of be a part of that experience was just amazing and hopefully be a part of all the experiences that that will come with it for him. And you know, as we both looked to term professional in the coming years, you know, I'm sure he'll gain experience and in those
majors that will put him in great stead. My next event is the Open Championship, which sounds pretty crazy, and but it's a golf course I know very well, and I know that I have a big advantage and a lot of guys come out to play because now to golf in the UK, you play a lot of links golf and that's the one week year a lot of those guys will be playing links golf. And so there's no reason that I can't have a have a decent showing. You know, I'm not going to say achieve any anything
in particular, but just compete. There's no reason why I can't compete with those guys. So I don't want to go in with this mindset of of simply being happy to be there, because I'm I'm very competitive and I will make a pact to enjoy it wherever happens. But at the same time, it's a gold performent and and you want to win and you know, want to play well, and that's what I'll be trying to do is just
to play my best. So that's helped me sort of bring me back down to earth, I think, because you know, it's not like I'm just continuing to play the same events. It's I'm now playing the best events in the world. So I've got keep getting better golf for Awise isn't gonna get left fine. So Laird Shepherd is one of eight amateurs in the Open and is off on Thursday morning at two am Eastern with Danny Willett and Dean Burmester.
Obviously it's going to it's kind of massively help when the time comes at a term pro and I think that will probably be, you know after at some point at the end of next year, after the US Open, and then you know, I'd love to go over and play the U s Antar this year. It doesn't look like it's going to happen because of travel restrictions, but unfortunately when in the British gives you a five year exemption into the U s Amatos. So I think that
would probably probably be my last amateur event. I think because I think going to play in the U s Amateur it's the biggest amateur event in the world with the Amateur Championship, but having that as a double would be pretty special in it. And I can't help but thinking, I just wonder if there's something to this. I don't know, but your your grandfather's passing brought you back home in which you then meet Tom, Like, have you ever processed
that at all? Um? Yeah, you know, I honestly, Um, I thought about him when I was sort of given um my sort of winners speech at the end, and I didn't I couldn't really let myself think about it for too long because I had to continue speaking and making sense. So I would have loved him just to see see me play, and he didn't really get seen me play a lot, and I loved him to hear hear about the news. But I know that he's probably was watching that day. And you know, he's always been
such a special man in my life. And to make people proud is probably the best thing about succeeding its stuff and and sort of paying them back for help way given given me. And maybe maybe it was it was it was sort of fate that that's how things work. So that was why I was down at the time to see Tom. You know, you just you just never know how this world works. And they even known my girlfriend she won the Scottish im to two weeks before. Um, And maybe if you hadn't done that, maybe I wouldn't
have believed that I could win. But you know, things, I think things do happen for a reason. My injuries. I think that's mentally toughened me up a lot and probably helped me through the last final. You know, not get too down on myself. And you know, all all of these things come together to create a perfect moment. So you know, just dis glad that that was. That
was it? All right, that's it for now anyway, Like I said, here at the Firepit Collective, we'll be tracking the careers of Laird Shepherd and Monty Scoutle, not to mention Chloe Goodby and Andrew Davidson. Here's to getting more card in hand of avoiding the semi, working on being brand new and winning four on the trot if and win need be. Thanks again to all the guests who made this four partner possible and to Colton Nedler for
the tireless and thoughtful technical support. We also appreciate the partnership with par Points, the app that allows you to change the way you score this game played from a hundred yards, a part is worth a hundred points, Bertie double it. Download the up now and go make par And lastly, here's the full version of the story the anthem for this podcast, written and recorded by Joe Horowitz and available wherever you get your music. It was produced
by Jack Here King Fire. Nobody hears getting tired, Settle down and settle in the story hears about to begin, the circles starting to take its shape, seats the field, and the tired sun plans and his skill, and everybody's got some glory, just wait unto unfold. Everybody's got some story, just wait unto be told. The place for that is here. All those smiles and all those tears, let them go. Put another log on the figh. Nobody hears getting tired,
Settle down and settle in. The story hears about to begin, And tales were told of war and gold. Lover is lost in a lifetime's dreams ours soul. Maybe you should stop in listen at the wisdom in the air. Maybe you should pour your heart out. We angle handy way. I'd your mercy in the sound as the smoke gets pushed around and your soul. Put another log on the fire. Nobody hears getting tired, Settle down and settle the story hears about to begin. The story he hears about to begin.
The story Here's about to begin.