5 days ago
Neal Shipley earns PGA Tour card for 2026 season
Mt. Lebanon native Neal Shipley has earned his PGA Tour card for the 2026 season.
Neal Shipley started becoming a household name last spring and summer when he earned low amateur honors at the Masters and at the U.S. Open, and starting in January, he'll be playing on the PGA Tour.
Shipley turned professional last year and has seen his fair share of success on the Korn Ferry Tour, a developmental tour for the PGA Tour.
So far this season, Shipley has two wins on the Korn Ferry Tour and has rattled off five straight top ten finishes and on Wednesday, he learned that he's amassed enough points to earn his PGA Tour card for the 2026 season -- and the news was announced to him live on the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN.
"I have an official announcement for you and I don't think you know this, but you might've known that it was around the corner," McAfee, a fellow western Pennsylvania native, said. "Each year, 20 players earn a PGA Tour card through their position on the end of season Korn Ferry Tour points list. Throughout the season, the PGA Tour monitors players at the top of the list and when they meet a certain threshold, they are declared #TourBound, which means they've locked up their PGA Tour card for the following season."
"Neal Shipley, it is with our honor, and I kind of gave it away there, you have a brain so you certainly understood what was going on and have been following along, but we are so incredibly lucky to be part of a moment that we hope changes the trajectory of your life, your family's life, and everything you have going on," McAfee said. "Congratulations, brother. With two massive comeback wins this season, you're a top 100 player in the world now. You've officially locked up your PGA Tour card. You are #TourBound, sir."
After the news of Shipley earning his tour card broke, he was congratulated on social media by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
"Neal Shipley and Western PA know how to get it done," Gov. Shapiro said. "Congrats Neal -- keep making us proud."
Shipley's PGA Tour career will officially get under in January for the first event of the season at the Sony Open at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii.
