There have been many huge names to claim the Silver Cup at Augusta National and, on Friday, Neal Shipley added his name to that list, with the American carding rounds of 71 and 76 to be the only amateur to make it into the weekend.
Conditions during the second round were brutal, to say the least, as the wind swirled and reached over 25 miles-per-hour. However, Shipley kept his cool to make the cut at the Masters, with the 2023 US Amateur runner-up claiming the biggest amateur title of his career.
Having his high school teammate, Carter Pitcairn, on the bag, Shipley began the day as the only amateur under-par following a one-under 71 and, on a chaotic second day, the 22-year-old held his cool to leave his competitors in the dust.
Birdieing two of his first three holes, he did bogey the fourth and seventh for a level-par front nine. Conditions were tough and, with a bogey at the 10th, double bogey at the 11th and a bogey at the 12th, you could be forgiven for thinking that Shipley would crumble in the situation.
The American, though, didn’t and, with a birdie at the 13th and 15th, he played the remaining holes in level-par to card a four-over 76 and set a three-over-par tournament total.
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His nearest challengers were Stewart Hagestad and The Open’s Silver Medal winner, Christo Lamprecht but, with the duo struggling, both carded six-over-par rounds of 78. They both missed the cut by a number of shots, and handed the coveted title to Shipley.
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