Shipley shipshape at Manitoba Open

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This article was published 23/08/2024 (759 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

He’s taken the golf world by storm with a splashy, star-studded debut most players can only dream of.

Now Neal Shipley has put himself in position to add “first professional victory” to an impressive list of accomplishments. The 23-year-old rookie from Pittsburgh is the clubhouse leader of the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open at 17-under par following rounds of 63-64.

“I’ve played some really clean golf,” Shipley said Friday. No kidding. Try 17 birdies and 19 pars through the first 36 holes at Southwood Golf & Country club.

“I think patience is a huge key. If you try to force things and hit the gas pedal too hard, that’s when you can make some bogeys that are unnecessary.”

First round co-leader John Keefer is 18-under and one stroke ahead of Shipley, but the Baltimore product hadn’t finished his second round when darkness set in on Friday evening. (The start of the day was delayed more than two hours due to fog).

After shooting nine-under 63 on Thursday, Keefer was nine-under through 14 holes when play was halted. The 23-year-old recently graduated from Baylor and is having a fantastic season which includes four second-place finishes, in addition to a fifth, a sixth and a 19th.

Keefer, along with 37 other players, will return to the course at 7:45 a.m. Saturday to finish their rounds. Third round tee-times will then begin later in the morning, with the final group expected to tee off around noon.

Considering the big stages Shipley has recently been on — and how recognizable he’s quickly become to golf fans — it’s not surprising that he appears cool, calm and collected on the course.

“It’s crazy now. I was walking through the Saskatoon airport (last weekend) and get recognized now,” said Shipley. “It’s been tons of fun and really cool to have lots of support from Canadian fans up here and just fans around the (U.S.) in general. It’s different, but it’s a good different.”

His grand entrance came at The Masters in April, when he not only made the cut but finished as the low amateur — while playing in the final round on Sunday with his idol, Tiger Woods. He ultimately finished tied for 53rd.

“I was just trying to take it all in,” Shipley said of the experience. “I did pick his brain a little bit on a few things. It was just really cool to see him and the fans and how everyone appreciated him. I was really appreciative of him, too.”

Then came the U.S. Open in June, when he made the cut and again won low amateur honours and ended up tied for 26th.

Shipley, who had just wrapped up his studies at Ohio State University, turned professional later in the month and received sponsor’s exemptions into five more PGA Tour events. He made the cut in four — finishing as high as a tie for sixth last month at the ISCO Championship in Kentucky — and has already made US $295,403.

“I think from both Augusta and the U.S. Open, I learned that I can compete with those guys on tour,” he said. “I’m just trying to plug away and get back there as fast as possible.”

So what’s he doing up here in Canada?

Well, Shipley doesn’t yet have status on the PGA Tour, but he does on PGA Tour Americas by virtue of going to qualifying school earlier this year. He played his first event in late June in Victoria, finishing tied for ninth, then competed for a second time last week in Saskatchewan — and missed the cut.

That appears to have lit a bit of a fire in him this week.

“Last week, I don’t think I played poorly. I just don’t think the golf course suited my game very well. I think out here, the course really allows my strengths to shine,” said Shipley, who isn’t about to get too comfortable.

“A 36-hole lead doesn’t really mean much. Scores are definitely going to get lower. With what we’ve seen so far, you could see close to 25 (under par) by the time Sunday rolls around.”

Based on the leaderboard so far, this might turn into a two-horse race between Shipley and Keefer who are starting to seperate themselves from the pack.

There were 21 Canadians in the field this week, and the best of the bunch so far is Noah Steele of Kingston, Ont. He is tied for third at 14-under after rounds of 66-64. Friday’s high-event outing included nine birdies, an eagle, a bogey and a double-bogey.

A pair of Americans — Ryggs Johnston (66-64) and Beau Breault (66-64) — and England’s Charlie Crockett (65-65) are also at 14-under, as is Andres Gallegos of Argentina who was through 12 holes Friday when play stopped.

Johnston, 24, recently graduated from Arizona State University and has made the cut in four of seven tournaments, with a tie for 12th his best finish. Playing well so far this week was a welcome development.

“All season I’ve felt like my game has been there, but I’ve just been under-performing,” he said. “So it’s nice to come out and put two solid rounds out and give myself a chance, because I haven’t really been in any tournaments so far this year.”

The Montana native has a nice little cheering section — his mother is caddying for him this week, and his grandmother and aunt are also on the road with him.

“It’s nice. I get some home-cooked meals, grandma makes me some food at night. And just having people to drive with and travel with. It’s nice to have part of home with me,” said Johnston.

Fun fact: He was named after Mel Gibson’s character in Lethal Weapon.

The projected cut line for the top 60 players and ties was seven-under par, which will be the lowest ever for the Open at Southwood. The final number will be determined once the second round ends, and there’s a chance it could be pushed to eight-under.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg