JOHN PATERSON PUTTS ON THE 1OTH GREEN OF THE TORRANCE COURSE DURING FINAL QUALIFYING FOR THE 150TH OPEN. IMAGE MATT HOOPER
23 AUGUST, 2023 - SHANK MEDIA, BY MATT HOOPER: THE ST ANDREWS BAY CHAMPIONSHIP IS IN ITS FIRST YEAR, AND ITS THE SIXTH EVENT OF THE 2023 INTERNATIONAL SERIES ON THE ASIAN TOUR, IT IS HUGE FOR MANY ASIAN TOUR MEMBERS LOOKING TO COMPETE FOR THE ORDER OF MERIT, WORLD RANKING POINTS AND A PLACE IN LIV GOLF. BUT FOR THREE YOUNG MEN WHO MAKE ST ANDREWS THEIR HOME, THIS WEEK IS POTENTIALLY LIFE-CHANGING.
JOHN PATERSON TURNED PROFESSIONAL IN 2022 AFTER A SUCCESSFUL JUNIOR, AMATEUR AND COLLEGE CAREER, AND THE ST ANDREWS NATIVE KNOWS THIS COURSE BETTER THAN MOST. PATERSON PLAYED IN FINAL QUALIFYING FOR THE 150TH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE TORRANCE COURSE LAST SUMMER, 2 ROUNDS IN THE TARTAN TOUR EVENT THIS SUMMER, AND HAS PLAYED SEVERAL ROUNDS RECREATIONALLY AROUND HERE. THE 23-YEAR-OLD MAJORED IN BUSINESS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, AND COMPETED FOR THE COLLEGE TEAM FROM 2018 TO 2022, RECORDING A BEST FINISH OF 2ND PLACE IN THE Colorado Mines/Writz Invitational IN 2019. JOHN WAS SUCCESSFUL AS A JUNIOR, AND WON THE SCOTTISH BOYS OPEN TITLE IN 2017, A YEAR AFTER STEPPING IN FOR HUGH GRANT DURING ROUND THREE OF THE 2016 ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP. JOHN WON THE ALFRED DUNHILL SCHOOLS CHALLENGE THAT YEAR TOO.
ARGUABLY THE HIGHLIGHT OF JOHN'S SENIOR AMATEUR CAREER CAME AT NAIRN WHERE HE REACHED THE QUARTER-FINALS OF THE AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP, AN EVENT WHICH FELLOW LOCAL PARTICIPANT THIS WEEK, LAIRD SHEPHERD, WENT ON TO WIN.
JOHN EARNED HIS SPOT IN THE ST ANDREWS BAY CHAMPIONSHIP BY WINNING THE QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT AROUND THE TORRANCE COURSE LAST WEEK, AFTER SHOOTING A STUNNING ROUND OF 63. THAT ROUND IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF HIS FLEDGLING PROFESSIONAL CAREER, WHICH SO FAR HAS SEEN HIM COMPETE IN 7 EVENTS ON THE TARTAN PRO TOUR, EARNING £1058. HIS BEST PERFORMANCES TO DATE INCLUDE A TIE FOR 13TH AT MONTROSE GOLF LINKS AND TIE FOR 21ST AT POLLOK GOLF CLUB, AND HE SITS 49TH ON THE ORDER OF MERIT.
IF JOHN CAN GET ANYWHERE NEAR TO THE FORM WHICH SAW HIM WIN THE QUALIFIER THEN THIS WEEK COULD CHANGE HIS LIFE. THE LEADING 32 PLAYERS ON THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES ORDER OF MERIT WILL QUALIFY FOR THE LIV GOLF PROMOTIONS EVENT, AND A FINISH INSIDE THE TOP 5 COULD GO A LONG WAY TO PUTTING THE YOUNG SCOT IN CONTENTION FOR A SPOT IN THAT TOURNAMENT.
JOHN PATERSON LINES UP A PUTT DURING FINAL QUALIFYING FOR THE 150TH OPEN. IMAGE MATT HOOPER.
SAM MUKHERJEE GOT THE CALL TO REPLACE TWIN BROTHER OLIVER AFTER HE WAS SELECTED FOR THE JACQUES LEGLISE TROPHY, WHICH IS BEING PLAYED AT GOLF DE CHANTILLY IN FRANCE THIS WEEKEND. SAM IS 17 YEARS OLD, AND OVER THE LAST 18 MONTHS HAS HAD A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF SUCCESS IN JUNIOR GOLF INCLUDING WINNING THE 2022 UAE WORLD AMATEUR JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP, WINNING A JUNIOR TOUR EVENT IN ARBROATH, AND RECORDING A 5TH PLACE FINISH IN THE SCOTTISH BOYS CHAMPIONSHIP AND FINISHING IN THE TOP 10 ANOTHER 5 TIMES. SAM WAS ALSO RUNNER UP TO HIS BROTHER IN THE 2022 R&A LOCAL CLUBS' GOLD MEDAL, THE STROKEPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE BEST MALE GOLFERS IN ST ANDREWS, PLAYED ON THE OLD COURSE EACH MAY.
FOR SAM THIS WEEK IS ABOUT GAINING THE EXPERIENCE OF PLAYING IN A PROFESSIONAL EVENT, AND IT SHOULD STAND HIM IN GOOD STEAD, CONSIDERING THE TOURS OF THE WORLD IS WHERE THIS YOUNG MAN WILL BE HEADING WITHIN THE NEXT FEW YEARS IF HE KEEPS THIS TRAJECTORY GOING.
SAM MUKHERJEE PLAYS HIS SECOND SHOT ON THE 5TH HOLE OF THE OLD COURSE DURING THE 2022 R&A LOCAL CLUBS' GOLD MEDAL. IMAGE MATT HOOPER.
LAIRD SHEPHERD TURNED PRO IN 2022 AFTER TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE REWARDS HIS AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY GAVE HIM, NAMELY PLACES IN THE OPEN, MASTERS AND US OPEN. LAIRD PLAYED A HANDFUL OF DP WORLD TOUR EVENTS IN 2022, INCLUDING THE HERO OPEN HERE AT THE FAIRMONT ST ANDREWS, BUT HE DID NOT MANAGE TO SECURE STATUS ON THE TOUR, AND IN 2023 HAS BEEN MAINLY PLAYING ON THE TARTAN PRO TOUR, WHERE HE HAS PLAYED 4 EVENTS EARNING LESS THAN £1000, SO THIS WEEK IS ALSO A HUGE WEEK FOR HIM.
THE ENGLISHMAN, WHO STUDIED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING BUT RECEIVED COACHING AT THE ST ANDREWS LINKS ACADEMY, LIVES IN THE TOWN WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND, FELLOW PROFESSIONAL GOLFER, CHLOE GOADBY. A GOOD WEEK IN THE ST ANDREWS BAY CHAMPIONSHIP COULD SECURE LAIRD A SPOT IN A FUTURE EVENT ON THE ASIAN TOUR, AND A TOP 5, COULD, AGAIN, OPEN THE DOOR TO THE POSSIBILITY OF COMPETING FOR A PLACE ON LIV GOLF FOR 2024.
FORMER AMATEUR CHAMPION LAIRD SHEPHERD TEES OFF THE 2ND HOLE OF THE TORRANCE COURSE DURING THE 2021 HERO OPEN. IMAGE MATT HOOPER.
