When Neal Shipley joined the Ohio State men’s golf program last summer, the Mt. Lebanon native and 2019 Central Catholic graduate was the 1,497th ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
What a difference a year can make.
Shipley wrapped up a whirlwind year Sunday by finishing as runner-up to Alabama sophomore Nick Dunlap at the 123rd U.S. Amateur Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Colo., just outside of Denver.
“It’s pretty crazy,” said Shipley in a USGA news conference following the match. “It’s the stuff of dreams to be doing what you’re doing, to do what I’m doing this week. Just glad I took time to soak it in every day and really enjoy it.
“This is likely my last Amateur, and just a really cool week and something I didn’t initially think I’d have the opportunity to do.”
After each player shot a 66 to duel to a tie through the first 18 of 36 scheduled holes, Dunlap used some timely putting to outlast Shipley and emerge with a 4-and-3 victory to claim the Havemeyer Trophy.
Dunlap shot 12 birdies on the day.
“You just try and keep digging and keep hitting golf shots,” said Shipley, who last played in the U.S. Amateur in 2021 when he missed the cut at Oakmont Country Club. “I just got out-dueled today. That’s kind of what it is.”
Dunlap joined Tiger Woods with the victory as the only players to win the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur championships. He won the U.S. Junior Amateur title in 2021.
“He absolutely did hang with me,” said the 19-year-old Dunlap of Shipley. “That was a hell of a match. He played amazing. I’m honored just to be in the final match with him. I can’t even explain it, man. I’m at a loss for words.”
Woods won the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in 1991, ’92 and ’93 before claiming U.S. Amateur titles in ’94, ’95 and ’96.
“Well, I think it’s only a third of what he’s actually done, but just to be in the same conversation as Tiger is a dream come true and something that I’ve worked my entire life for,” Dunlap said. “It’s the hours and hours that nobody sees to try to get to this point and even have a chance to win this trophy, it’s unbelievable, can’t put it into words.”
Finishing as runner-up became a rather successful trend this summer for Shipley, who transferred to Ohio State after three seasons at James Madison.
After carding the Buckeyes’ low score through the final stroke play cut and earning All-American honorable mention status at the NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., in May, Shipley posted three second-place finishes at Elite Amateur Series events in the run up to the U.S. Amateur.
“I had never seen Neal swing a golf club until he arrived on campus, so I’m not sure I can accurately say what I expected from Neal,” Ohio State men’s golf coach Jay Moseley said. “However, I always love to see guys that have progressed and get better every year, and that’s what I saw in Neal’s resume.
“Neal brought in a great work ethic and has thrived because he is so efficient and effective with his practice.”
Shipley finished in second place at the Dogwood Invitational, Sunnehanna Amateur in Johnstown and Trans-Mississippi Amateur Championship before turning in a third-place performance at the Pacific Coast Amateur two weeks later.
The 22-year-old Shipley earned a likely invitation to the 2024 Masters and U.S. Open exemption by qualifying for Sunday’s U.S. Amateur Championship final pairing. He also earned a future date on the Korn Ferry Tour by finishing in fourth place in the Elite Amateur Series standings.
“Playing in the Masters has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid,” Shipley said. “I mean, you wake up early in the morning and start watching the coverage. When I was in high school I’d be in class watching coverage on my computer, not doing my schoolwork on Thursday and Friday. I think it’s cool that I’ll be out there and excited to have a bunch of people with me.”
Shipley was attempting to be the first golfer born in Western Pennsylvania to capture the U.S. Amateur Championship since Latrobe native Arnold Palmer won the event in 1954. He would have been the third Ohio State golfer to win the U.S. Amateur since Jack Nicklaus claimed the Havemeyer Trophy in 1959 and 1961 before John Cook brought a title back to Columbus in 1978.
“Just being around good teammates and good coaches and being able to see what they do so great and all that,” said Shipley of transferring to Ohio State. “That’s been really good.”
Moseley, who traveled to Cherry Hills Country Club for the U.S. Amateur, said Shipley’s performance “means a lot to Buckeye golf.”
“It’s been a while since we’ve had a U.S. Amateur finalist, and we couldn’t be more proud,” he said. “We are grateful and thankful there is a lot of excitement around our program right now, but we know we must continue to put in the work to continue to drive toward our goals.”
Shipley chased Dunlap for much of the first 18 holes Sunday. He needed a birdie on the 18th hole to finish the first half of play all square with Dunlap.
The tie wouldn’t last long.
Dunlap won the third and fourth holes in the afternoon to take a two-point lead he would not relinquish. He would lengthen his lead to four by winning the 10th hole.
“Yeah, you shoot 5 under and you would think you’d be at least 1- or 2-up,” Shipley said. “Nick played great, and he just made a lot of putts on me this afternoon. You know, that’s what it takes to win these things. He has what it takes, obviously, and I just didn’t really play my best today. It is what it is.”
In the week leading up to Sunday, Shipley was more than good enough to bring home a U.S. Amateur title. The Ohio State grad student won five matches to become the first Buckeye to advance to the U.S. Amateur Championship final match in 40 years.
“Words can’t describe how special it has been to watch Neal’s incredible run this week,” Moseley said. “His performance was exemplary from start to finish and, even today, he played outstanding in the final match.”
Shipley shot a 69 and 73 at nearby Colorado Golf Club in stroke play to qualify for a spot in match play. He then defeated Wenyi Ding 1-up in the opening round before knocking off Calum Scott with a birdie on a second extra hole Thursday morning to advance out of the round of 32.
Later in the day, Shipley earned a 3-and-2 victory over Cooper Jones in the round of 16.
Shipley then added a 2-and-1 victory over San Diego’s Andi Xu in the quarterfinals before rallying to win five of the final seven semifinal holes to knock off Auburn senior John Marshall Butler, 2 and 1.
“It was so cool,” said Shipley of his week at the U.S. Amateur. “I never thought that that would happen ever. It’s just cool, and it’s going to be a special place because of that, I think.”
Shipley will now be turning his attention to his final season of NCAA eligibility at Ohio State. He rose to as high as 118 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking this summer and will likely be in the Top 100 following his showing at Cherry Hills Country Club.
“Expectations are always tricky, but I can tell you that there are 11 young men and two coaches in our locker room that have a lot of faith and belief in each other,” Moseley said. “We will be focused on doing little things each and every day to help us get better and we know that’s what will lead us to where we want to go and what we want to do.”
Playing well at the Masters and U.S. Open is something Shipley will undoubtedly be looking to accomplish.
“It’s not every day you get to play a national championship with professionals, so I think that’s going to be a really cool experience,” said Shipley, who led Ohio State in scoring in 2023 at 72.72 and had five Top 20 finishes.
John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com.