When Erica Shepherd made her first appearance at the U.S. Women’s Open two years ago, she was understandably overwhelmed.
She had just finished her freshman year at Center Grove High School, and there she was teeing it up at CordeValle Golf Club in California with the best golfers on the planet.
“I was only 15 years old, I was the youngest one there, and that was my first time ever being around the pros at all,” Shepherd recalled. “I think I’ve had about four other experiences since then where I’ve been around the pros, and I think that’s helped a lot.”
Those experiences have Shepherd in a much better place as she begins play in her second Open this morning at Shoal Creek, a renowned club just outside of Birmingham, Alabama that has previously hosted the PGA Championship twice.
Shepherd had never played the course prior to her two practice rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday, but she said before arriving in Alabama that she was excited about the opportunity.
“Obviously, it’s going to be pretty in perfect condition, considering it’s the U.S. Open,” she said. “I’m just looking forward to playing a course with fast greens that’s in good shape. I haven’t heard anything too crazy about the layout.”
Shepherd missed the cut two years ago at CordeValle, shooting an 82 and a 75. She has since built her confidence with several big-time performances — including the victory at last summer’s U.S. Girls Junior, which earned her a spot in this weekend’s field, and the Indy Women in Tech Championship last August at Brickyard Crossing, where she made an LPGA tournament cut for the first time.
She’s coming into the Open fresh off of the Thunderbird International Junior in Scottsdale, Arizona. That event wrapped up on Monday, giving her a little less time in between than she might have liked, but Shepherd was glad to play in a competitive setting to get herself back into tournament mode.
“Since it’s early in the season and I’ve been working on things, I’ll still be fresh going into the Open,” she said. “I think it worked out well.”
Also working in Shepherd’s favor was that Center Grove allowed her to take her final exams a week early, allowing her to head off to Arizona and Alabama with her junior year completely behind her.
“I haven’t felt this good in a long time,” Shepherd said after completing her last final.
If she can make the cut this weekend and reach her goal of finishing as the low amateur in the field, she’ll feel even better.
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When: Today through Sunday
Where: Shoal Creek, Alabama
TV: Today and Friday, 3 to 8 p.m. (Fox Sports 1); Saturday and Sunday, 2-7 p.m. (Fox)
Note: Erica Shepherd tees off on the 10th hole at 8:13 a.m. today and on the first hole at 1:53 p.m. Friday.
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