With a self-described body by Waffle House and a slew of other memorable lines, Neal Shipley became a fan favorite on the third season of Netflix’s “Full Swing.” As he put it, he’s “just an average Joe who happens to play golf a little better than the average guy.”
He played better than everyone at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Lecom Classic on Saturday in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, shooting a final-round 64 at Lakewood National Golf Club and sinking a 38-foot birdie putt on the fifth playoff hole to beat Seungtaek Lee and earn his first professional victory.
“I had to make some clutch putts,” Shipley said. “When that last one went in, I kind of went berserk. You practice for moments like that.”
Shipley, 24, reeled off five birdies in a row and seven of eight holes in the final round en route to a tournament-best 30 birdies for the week.
The 2023 U.S. Amateur runner up and low am at the Masters and U.S. Open in 2024 began the 2025 season with conditional status via finishing 151-200 from the 2024 FedEx Cup standings. He recorded two top-15 finishes to climb the Korn Ferry Tour priority ranking.
Both Lee and Shipley finished at 18-under-par 266 and then bogeyed the first playoff holes. Shipley drained a 15-foot par putt on the third extra hole to stay alive. When the winning putt dropped, Shipley let out a loud scream.
“Unfortunately, I have a tendency to let my anger out, sometimes in good ways, sometimes in bad ways, I’ll admit,” Shipley told the East County Observer. “I feel like that helps me. It’s like a release valve and you’re taking some pressure out. If you hold it in, you’re like a pipe that’s ready to burst at some point, and then it bursts in bad ways, so I’d rather let that air leak a little at a time, stay calm and move on.”
Shipley became the second rookie winner and the sixth first-time winner of the season on the Korn Ferry Tour.
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