It’s hard to predict who will and who won’t be successful on the PGA Tour, but Neal Shipley is one of those who seems to find success at every level on and off the course.
In fact, looking at what he’s already accomplished, it would be almost foolish to say that he won’t be, as Anchorman character Ron Burgundy once said, kind of a big deal—at least in the future.
Somewhere along the line, Shipley developed an interest in numbers, and not just the ones on the scorecard. He graduated from James Mason University with a degree in quantitative finance in just three years, while also playing golf for the school. He also, ho-hum, minored in mathematics and economics.
Then, he transferred to Ohio State, where he took his two years of remaining eligibility as a grad transfer to play golf there while he completed a master’s degree in data analytics. In short, his background and education are one of the hottest combinations for Wall Street firms.
Oh, and he had the second-lowest scoring average on the OSU team at 72.72 in 2022-23 and a career-best scoring average of 71.35, which led the golf team in 2023-24. Is he just too good to be true?
In 2023, Shipley finished runner-up at the U.S. Amateur to Nick Dunlap, who won The American Express in 2024, becoming the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event in 33 years.
But sometimes finishing second is still good enough to get into important events, and such was the case for Shipley. His U.S. Amateur result allowed him entry into the 2024 Masters and the U.S. Open. Astonishingly, he made the cut and was low amateur in both, quite an accomplishment for someone so young. It gave him confidence.
“It's been massive knowing that I can compete at those biggest stages, so when I come out here, I know that I can beat most of the guys out here,” he said. “I think that's something that a lot of young pros don't get out of college, so really grateful for those two experiences.”
Now, he has his eye on the PGA Tour. The two ways for him to get there are the Korn Ferry Tour, where he already has one victory, or by making enough money on the PGA Tour in seven invitations to equal the 150th player on the PGA Tour.
This week, he’s in the Charles Schwab Challenge as a recipient of the Champions' Choice selection. It is his second PGA Tour start in 2025. His first was at the Valspar, where he tied for 47th with Danny Willett, Gary Woodland, Will Zalatoris, Mark Hubbard, Matthieu Pavon, and Ryan Fox.
“I'm really honored that some of my peers chose to give me that exemption and really excited to have a great week,” he said to the media before play began.
While Shipley is undoubtedly stoked to be in the field in Fort Worth, he knows it’s a long shot to get to the PGA Tour on exemptions.
“A lot of our focus this year is on the Korn Ferry Tour, getting into one of those top 20 spots,” he explained. “I want to be out here. This is where I want to play. I feel like the golf courses suit me a lot better than out on the Korn Ferry Tour.”
He sat in 87th place after the first round at Colonial after shooting a 2-over 72, but whether Shipley makes the cut or not, he's definitely a player to watch for the future.