For everything that she’s already accomplished in the world of golf, Erica Shepherd had never played in a tournament outside of North America — until now.
Today and Tuesday, the Center Grove senior will be a part of the 12-player United States team competing at the 11th Junior Ryder Cup, which is being held at Disneyland Paris.
Yes, that Paris.
Shepherd was one of six girls to earn a spot on the U.S. team, reaching her No. 1 goal for the year.
"I think it just shows that I played good enough and did what I had to do to make the team," she said.
The left-handed Shepherd will play in three matches during the event. Action begins this morning with six foursome matches (three boys matches and three girls matches), followed by six mixed four-ball matches this afternoon. On Tuesday, the tournament concludes with 12 singles matches.
Potential distractions will be circling all around during what figures to be a busy 10-day trip, but Shepherd says that it shouldn’t be too hard to focus on the task at hand.
"There’s going to be a lot going on with it being the Ryder Cup," she said, but when you’re on the course it’s golf, no matter where you are."
Still, she’s excited for all of the other opportunities. Shepherd will get to play in a friendly exhibition match at the Albatros Course of Le Golf National, which will host the actual Ryder Cup this coming weekend, and she’ll be able to see some of those matches, which will feature the likes of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth.
There is no Ryder Cup for the adult women, which is why Shepherd is savoring this moment. She ranks it as her second biggest golfing achievement, trailing only her victory at the 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior championship.
Even playing in the U.S. Open twice can’t compare, she says, because that’s an event she can play in again.
"When I’m a pro I’m not going to be able to play in the Ryder," Shepherd said. "That’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing."
Local fans can keep up with live scoring during the event at junior.rydercup.com.
When she returns to American soil, Shepherd will have two more tournaments on her 2018 calendar — The PING Invitational in Stillwater, Oklahoma (Oct. 5-8) and the Rolex Tournament of Champions in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (Nov. 17-22).
