Latest news with #LECOMSuncoastClassic
Irish Independent
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Tiger Woods' son Charlie makes huge jump in standard to win biggest prize of career to date
The 16-year-old son of Tiger Woods, perhaps the most famous golfer ever to have played the game, undoubtedly made his father proud with a final-round 66 to win the Team TaylorMade Invitational in Bowling Green, Florida on Wednesday by three strokes. Woods jnr can now call himself a champion on the world's premier youth circuit. The teenager from The Benjamin School − the independent establishment near to where his divorced parents both live − came into the prestigious event way down in 604th in the American Junior Golf Association rankings, with his best finish in five starts a tie for 25th in March. There was an impressive victory in the 14-15-year-old category, as well as the Last Chance Regional later in 2023, but this was a huge jump in standard. Yet despite the 54-hole invitational event obviously being for select players only, Woods silenced the mutterings of special treatment and emphatically justified his sponsor inclusion by leaving behind the likes of star amateur Miles Russell. He stormed through his six-under effort on the 7,249-yard Streamsong Black layout, that is longer than some PGA Tour stops. The fact that Russell was left trailing in seventh will certainly raise eyebrows. Last year, when still in high school, Russell became the youngest player to make the cut on the Korn Ferry Tour − the PGA Tour's main feeder circuit − when he tied for 20th at the LECOM Suncoast Classic. That earned him two starts on the Tour proper and at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and the Butterfield Bermuda Championship Russell's scoring average was sub-70. Luke Colton, the 17-year-old who is another established member in the world's top five, was also in the field and the highly rated Texan was fancied to prevail when he took a one-shot lead into the last round. However, Woods, who opened the tournament with a 70 and a 65, made five birdies on the opening nine to grasp the advantage and then birdied three of his next four, before coasting into the clubhouse with four straight pars. It was reminiscent of the great man himself and added so much substance to the hype that he had attracted since he first played with his father in the PGA Tour's parent-child feature-piece − the PNC Championship − in 2020 as an 11-year-old. The pair have yet to win that event, but social media has long been in rapture for the swing similarities between the duo. However, Woods snr has remained adamant that he will realise his ambition and eventually crack the big time if he sticks to being himself. 'Yeah, I mean, I just am always reminding him, just be you,' he said last year. 'Charlie is Charlie. Yes, he's my son. He's going to have the last name and he's going to be part of the sport. But I just want him to be himself and just be his own person. That's what we will always focus on. 'Being constantly filmed and constantly just − people watching him, that's just part of his generation, and that's part of the world that he has to manoeuvre through. I try to do the best job I possibly can as a parent. I'm always here for him. But at the end of the day, I just want him to be himself and have his own life.'
NBC Sports
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
Korn Ferry's Shipley 'getting used to' new stardom
Neal Shipley of the Korn Ferry Tour joins Golf Today to discuss winning the LECOM Suncoast Classic, dealing with his newfound celebrity status, growing up at Oakmont Country Club and trying to earn a PGA Tour promotion.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
After first Korn Ferry Tour win, OSU alum Shipley continues to make waves in pro golf
Neal Shipley continues to make waves in the all-too-often stuffy world of professional golf. Offering a rapidly improving game and a relatable personality, the former Ohio State golfer is making quite a name for himself in golf circles. His latest foray into the media side of pro golf is a Q&A with Skratch golf insider Dan Rapaport, who stars on the Netflix series 'Full Swing,' which features Shipley in its third season. Neal Shipley kisses the trophy after winning the LECOM Suncoast Classic at Lakewood National Golf Club on April 19. Rapaport released a video clip of the 'rapid fire' Q&A on April 20. It was another demonstration of Shipley's 'off the cuff' persona, including the backstory on his viral 'side-eye' glance during an interview at the 2024 Masters with Jim Nantz, then champion Scottie Scheffler, 2023 champion John Rahm and Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley. Advertisement 'I am in there and I am like what in the (expletive) am I doing here?' Shipley said. 'The only thing I could think of is like, 'Let's not speak out of turn,' so I am looking at the teleprompter, and it's like, 'Jim Nantz is speaking about Neal.' I am looking for that line, and I am like, 'Okay, when's it coming? When's it coming?' And then I made a fool of myself. So that was hilarious.' Shipley, who's from Pittsburgh, lists Vijay Singh as his favorite 'not-Tiger Woods' golfer to watch when he was young and picked a variety of pros when asked to 'build a player." After transferring to OSU and playing one season for the Buckeyes, Shipley gained his biggest notoriety by finishing as the low amateur at the 2024 Masters and U.S. Open, and then appearing in "Full Swing." Neal Shipley is ranked third on the Korn Ferry Tour and will earn his 2026 PGA Tour card if he finishes among the developmental tour's top 20 golfers. Sunday, Shipley won his first pro tournament April 20, outlasting Seungtaek Lee in a five-hole playoff at the Korn Ferry Tour's LECOM SunCoast Classic at Lakewood National Golf Club in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. Advertisement He's ranked third on the Korn Ferry Tour and will earn his 2026 PGA Tour card if he finishes among the developmental tour's top 20 golfers. Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@ and @ This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State alum Neal Shipley continues to make waves in pro golf
CBS News
21-04-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Neal Shipley gets first professional victory, wins LECOM Suncoast Classic on Korn Ferry Tour
Mt. Lebanon native and Pittsburgh Central Catholic graduate Neal Shipley has his first win as a professional golfer. Shipley outlasted Seungtaek Lee of South Korea in a five-hole playoff on Saturday to win the LECOM Suncoast Classic in Florida on the Korn Ferry Tour, a developmental tour for the PGA Tour. On the fifth playoff hole, Shipley sank a 38-foot birdie putt to get his first professional win. "This is what we play for," Shipley said after the win . "We play for moments like that. We practice for moments like that. You know, we work really hard so that we have the opportunity to hit those putts to win. I'm really glad that I put myself in the position to do that this week." The win on Saturday netted Shipley a $180,000 payout and helps get the Ohio State graduate one step closer towards being on the PGA Tour. Currently sitting in third place on the tour's points list , if Shipley can finish inside the top 20 at the end of the season, he'll earn a PGA Tour card for the 2026 season. Shipley, a fan favorite who turned pro last year after strong showings at the Masters and at the U.S. Open , earning low amateurs in both major championship tournaments. Shipley became the sixth player in history to win low amateur honors at the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year, joining the likes of Ken Venturi (1956), Jack Nicklaus (1960), Phil Mickelson (1991), Matt Kuchar (1998) and Viktor Hovland (2019).
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Ohio State golfer Neal Shipley sinks 38-foot birdie putt to win 1st pro tournament
Former Ohio State golfer Neal Shipley defeated Seungtaek Lee with a birdie on the fifth hole of a sudden-death playoff to earn his first Korn Ferry Tour win at the LECOM Suncoast Classic on April 19 in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. Shipley finished with 30 birdies in the tournament and finished with 64 on Saturday to force a playoff. Both Lee and Shipley finished at 18-under-par. Advertisement '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 and Lee missed par putts on the first playoff hole to bogey and each went on to par the hole three straight times after. It was Shipley's first professional win. He earned $180,000. Advertisement He entered the week with two made cuts in seven previous Korn Ferry Tour starts. Neal Shipley reacts to a 38-foot putt on the fifth playoff hole to win the LECOM Suncoast Classic on April 19. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Former Ohio State golfer Neal Shipley sinks 38-foot birdie putt to win 1st pro tournament
