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Alec Shepperson

{{Short description|English amateur golfer (born 1936)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox golfer

| name = Alec Shepperson

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| fullname = Alec Edward Shepperson

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| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1936|4}}

| birth_place = Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England

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| nationality = {{ENG}}

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| status = Amateur

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| masters = DNP

| usopen = DNP

| open = CUT: 1956, 1957

| pga = DNP

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Alec Edward Shepperson (born April 1936) is an English amateur golfer. He played in the 1957 and 1959 Walker Cup matches.

Golf career

Shepperson was a successful boy golfer. In 1951 he represented England against Scotland at Prestwick.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tjY1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=OaYLAAAAIBAJ&pg=5489%2C4032609 |newspaper=Glasgow Herald |date=20 August 1951 |title=England wins boys' golf international |page=6}} In the subsequent Boys Amateur Championship he reached the quarter-finals before losing at the 19th hole to the eventual winner, Neville Dunn.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4UtAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GYsMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1843%2C4443585 |newspaper=Glasgow Herald |date=25 August 1951 |title=England boys' final at Prestwick |page=2}} The following year at Formby he reached the final of the Boys Championship. Playing Michael Bonallack he was 3 down with 5 holes to play, levelled the match but then lost at the 37th hole after Bonallack holed a 16-yard putt.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=w9Y-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=20wMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6521%2C82142 |newspaper=Glasgow Herald |date=1 September 1952 |title=Disappointing final in boys' championship |page=8}} In 1953 at Dunbar he reached the final for the second successive year. Playing Tom Booth, Shepperson was 5 up after 9 holes and eventually won 6 & 4.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7UdAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=koUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1695%2C47582 |newspaper=Glasgow Herald |date=31 August 1953 |title=British boys' golf title for Shepperson |page=7}}

Shepperson went to Oxford in 1954 and gained his blue in 1955, 1956 and 1957.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sHZAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cqMMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1468%2C1936528 |newspaper=Glasgow Herald |date=15 May 1959 |title=Walker Cup Who's Who |page=6}} He won the French International Boys Championship in 1955, beating Niels Thygesen 6 & 5 in the final.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fz9AAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dlkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4511%2C1436611 |newspaper=Glasgow Herald |date=12 September 1955 |title=Briton wins French event |page=11}} In early 1957 he became the youngest winner of President's Putter, beating Gerald Micklem 3 & 2 in the final.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BGJAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=epwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5324%2C1120992 |newspaper=Glasgow Herald |date=14 January 1957 |title=President's Putter for A. E. Shepperson |page=4}}

From 1956 Shepperson was a regular selection for international matches. As well as playing for England, he represented the British Isles against the Rest of Europe in 1956, 1958 and 1960, a match that later became the St Andrews Trophy, and for Great Britain & Ireland against the United States in the Walker Cup in 1957 and 1959. He also represented the amateurs in the Amateurs–Professionals Match annually from 1956 to 1960. In the 1957 Walker Cup he played with Guy Wolstenholme in the foursomes, halving his match, but was not selected for the singles. In 1959 he played with Michael Lunt in the foursomes but lost 2 & 1 to Jack Nicklaus and Ward Wettlaufer. He played Tommy Aaron in the singles, a future Masters champion. All square after 18 holes, Shepperson was 4 down with 9 holes to play after a poor front nine. However, from the 10th hole he scored 4-3-4-3-4-4-3-4, winning 6 of the 8 holes to win the match 2 & 1.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=snZAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cqMMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1819%2C2209421 |newspaper=Glasgow Herald |date=18 May 1959 |title=Americans again win Walker Cup |page=3 |first=Cyril |last=Horne}}{{cite journal |url=http://gsrpdf.lib.msu.edu/ticpdf.py?file=/1950s/1959/590608.pdf |title=A bonus of value in the Walker Cup |newspaper=USGA Journal and Turf Management |date=June 1959 |page=8 |first=Joseph C. |last=Rey Jr.}}

Shepperson was runner-up in the 1958 Brabazon Trophy at Royal Birkdale, 3 strokes behind Arthur Perowne.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xys1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=1qULAAAAIBAJ&pg=6436%2C6526671 |newspaper=Glasgow Herald |date=23 June 1958 |title=Brabazon Trophy for A. H. Perowne |page=10}} In 1960 he tried to qualify for centenary Open Championship. Having failed to qualify he played in the Turnberry Trophy instead. In the first round on the Ailsa course he was out in 31 and completed the round in a course-record 65 to lead by 7 strokes, eventually winning the event by 5 strokes.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=U4RAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qZsMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3071%2C1606560 |newspaper=Glasgow Herald |date=11 July 1960 |title=Shepperson's easy win |page=3}} From about 1960 he played less golf although he was still good enough to be competitive when he did play. In 1962 he lost in a playoff for the Brabazon Trophy. He had tied with Alan Slater with a score of 290 but lost the 18-hole playoff by 3 strokes.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=x5tAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=l6MMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1885%2C42028 |newspaper=Glasgow Herald |date=2 July 1962 |title=Slater easily wins play-off |page=4}} He also reached semi-final of the 1964 English Amateur at Notts Golf Club.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KmRAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=laMMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4014%2C2508043 |newspaper=Glasgow Herald |date=18 July 1964 |title=Foster and Marsh in English final |page=5}}

Personal life

Shepperson learnt his golf at Coxmoor Golf Club where his parents were members.{{cite web |url=https://www.coxmoorgolfclub.co.uk/chapter-9-the-amateurs |accessdate=12 May 2019 |title=Coxmoor Golf Club, Chapter 9 - The Amateurs}} He studied law at Christ College, Oxford University and later became a solicitor in Mansfield.

Amateur wins

Results in major championships

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1956

!1957

align=left|The Open Championship

|CUT

|CUT

Note: Shepperson only played in The Open Championship.

CUT = missed the half-way cut

Team appearances

References

{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shepperson, Alec}}

Category:English male golfers

Category:Amateur golfers

Category:Sportspeople from Mansfield

Category:1936 births

Category:Living people