Rising Star Neal Shipley Talks Strategy and Success at Rocket Mortgage Classic

Neal Shipley, the Pittsburgh native who captured the attention of the golf world by winning low amateur at this year's Masters and U.S. Open, has once again demonstrated his exceptional talent by securing a spot in the next round of the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic. Following a stellar first and second round in which he shot a 67 and 68 respectively, Shipley currently finds himself tied for tenth heading into moving day at Detroit Golf Club.

In the wake of his performance, Shipley shared some insights into his approach and mindset heading into the weekend.

"Yeah, had a good first two days so far. Played really steady golf today, which I was pretty happy about. Hope to keep that up in the weekend and maybe even go a little bit lower," Shipley expressed.

Despite the recent news of also finding himself with a spot in next week's John Deere Classic and the potential distractions that come with early success, Shipley remains grounded.

"Yeah, for sure. I think it's really easy to get ahead of yourself and think about traveling to the Quad Cities next week and then what we have after that. Treating every event like it's a major because they're really important starts right now for me," he said, reflecting his mature perspective on taking each tournament at a time and treating every opportunity as crucial.

Crucial they are. Shipley received a sponsor exemption into this week's PGA Tour event, technically his first appearance on the Tour despite already finding himself in some of golf's biggest events of the year.

When asked about any substantial differences he's noticed transitioning from the amateur to professional ranks, Shipley showcased confidence stemming from his experiences at major tournaments.

"With my experience with the majors, I don't feel like there's a big learning curve for me. Pretty fortunate to have had two great experiences at Augusta and then at Pinehurst, kind of been in the mix at both at certain times throughout the week, so I feel really comfortable," he elaborated.

As for his game's specific aspects that have excelled over the 36 holes, Shipley acknowledged the overall solidity of his play.

"We've had stretches where everything's been clicking and some of the approaches have been good, but now there's stretches where it's not as great. Just kind of overall, we've kept our misses to a minimum and kind of kept it in the ballpark, which it's important."

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