Neal Shipley playing at the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on May 14th. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
Just a week before beginning his professional career, spring 2024 Ohio State graduate and golfer Neal Shipley added yet another accomplishment to his already stellar amateur resume.
Sunday afternoon at Pinehurst No. 2 — a well-known golf course located in Pinehurst, North Carolina — Neal Shipley (+6) edged Florida State’s Luke Clanton by two strokes to win low amateur honors at the 2024 U.S. Open.
With the win, Shipley became just the 9th golfer in history to receive low amateur honors at both the Masters and the U.S. Open in the same year. Shipley joins the likes of Sam Randolph (1986), Phil Mickelson (1991), Matt Kuchar (1998) and Viktor Hovland (2019) as the latest golfer to earn such honors.
Shipley is now the second Ohio State golfer to earn this honor, joining legendary Ohio State golfer Jack Nicklaus, who accomplished the feat in 1960.
Clanton and Shipley opened the final round deadlocked at +4, setting up a two-man battle for low amateur honors on the tournament’s final day.
The pair remained even through 15, but clutch play by Shipley put him on top. Over the final four holes, Shipley gained two strokes against Clanton, effectively widening the gap in their battle.
The Pittsburgh native will begin his professional career when he joins PGA Tour Americas, which begins next week. Shipley is set to debut at the tournament’s first event — the Beachlands Victoria Open in Victoria, British Columbia — on Thursday.
