Neil Shipley is no longer an amateur golfer, he’s officially a professional. He made his PGA Tour Americas debut last week at the Beachlands Victoria Open, finishing tied for ninth.
Shipley made his first professional appearance on the PGA Tour after receiving a sponsorship exemption for the Rocket Mortgage Classic, but he’s a familiar presence on the tour after taking the world by storm at the Masters and U.S. Open.
The former Ohio State Buckeye finished last as an amateur in both major tournaments, becoming just the second player in the past 25 years to accomplish the feat — Viktor Hovland was the other player to do the same in 2019.
He shot a 4-under 68 on Friday at Detroit Golf Club, following a 5-under 67 on Thursday, putting him at 9-under overall and four strokes behind leader Akshay Bhatia. Despite being a newcomer, Shipley isn’t counting on it.
“Having been in the majors, I don’t feel like there’s a big learning curve for me,” Shipley said.
Photo by Ben Jared/PGA Tour via Getty Images
“I’ve been very fortunate to have had some great experiences at Augusta and Pinehurst. I’ve played a few times at both tournaments this week so I feel at ease. I also had a great week last week as a professional. If I stay calm and play good golf, whether I’m an amateur or a professional, good golf will spread all over the world.”
He started the day with a bogey on the par-4 second hole, but recovered to put together a solid round. Shipley recorded two more birdies in the first half and three more in the last nine holes to finish in 33 strokes.
Neil Shipley has already recorded 42 birdies and one eagle through six rounds into his professional career, and he is currently tied for seventh at nine under par after 36 holes at the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, where he will be making the cut for the third time against PGA Tour players.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) June 28, 2024
The 23-year-old is tied for fourth in strokes gained on approaches to the green with +4.296 shots and is also tied for 10th in total strokes gained with +5.970.
“The first two days have been good so far. I played some solid golf today so I’m very happy,” he said. “I’m hoping to keep it up this weekend and get a few lower scores. If I can get a lower score tomorrow I’ll be up there in no time.”
Shipley is in a good position heading into Saturday and the rest of the weekend, as his PGA Tour journey doesn’t end in Detroit, he’ll also be competing in next week’s John Deere Classic.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Instagram: @savannah_leigh_sports
