WEST CHICAGO – Golfers worldwide revere Scotland’s St. Andrews as the sport’s unofficial birthplace.

The course of the same name in western DuPage County comes without such prestige – or the “Home of Golf” trademark – though it undoubtedly has coddled many Tri-Cities teens in their development.

For the past few years, St. Charles North senior Dan Shepherd reluctantly was one of them. Even as St. Andrews hosted scores of summer junior events and key high school meets such as Wednesday’s Upstate Eight Conference River Division Tournament, Shepherd showed indifference to a layout that never seemed to complement his game.