Neal Shipley is the low amateur at a Major once again – but this time, he was made to work a lot harder.
After claiming low amateur honors at the Masters by virtue of making the cut, Shipley earned the title again at the US Open after a thrilling contest against Luke Clanton that went down to the wire.
The 23-year-old became just the sixth player in history to win low amateur honors at the Masters and US open in the same year, joining Ken Venturi, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar and, most recently, Viktor Hovland, who achieved the feat in 2019.
It so happened that Shipley and Clanton – the two leading amateurs this week – were paired together on day four after being tied at four-over for 54 holes, and the duo continued to trade blows right until the last, providing plenty of excitement away from the leaders.
Both Shipley and Clanton shot 37 after nine holes and were still tied with three holes to play.
But Shipley eventually managed to pull away to claim the honors by two strokes, with Clanton shooting two-over in his last three holes.
Shipley shot three birdies, three bogeys and a double in a two-over final round, finishing at six-over above some big names like world No.1 Scottie Scheffler.
The US Open will be the final act of his amateur career after announcing that he will turn pro at the conclusion of the tournament, having secured a PGA Tour Americas card through Q-School.
Speaking after his round, Shipley said his recent run of form in the last 10 months, which included runner-up in the US Amateur, was "the stuff of dreams".
"It's been wild. It's been something that maybe three, four years ago I didn't think was possible, and to accomplish all this has just been phenomenal. Just the stuff of dreams really as an amateur to do everything I've done. I think I've checked all the boxes now."
Asked about joining the exclusive club of players who won low amateur honors twice in a year, Shipley replied: "I think it means I've got some big shoes to fill because the guys who have done it before have obviously gone on to have some great careers.
"I think it just really solidifies my amateur career as I turn pro next week, and I'm just really happy with the career that I've had as an amateur and the legacy hopefully that I'll leave."
Clanton, who carded a four-over 74 to finish at eight-over for the tournament, congratulated Shipley after his round.
"All four days it’s been kind of the same: firm, fast, hard. I played good golf. And congrats to Neal Shipley on a great week again and for going low am Masters and low am here. It’s awesome to see."
Shipley said going head-to-head with Clanton was "awesome".
"He played great today. He really made it tough on me. He's got a lot of good golf left, and you're going to be seeing him out here again very soon. He's such a quality player. If any of you guys are following college golf, you know he's one of the best out there. So no doubt he'll be back and ready to go again."
Gunnar Broin, the only other amateur to make the cut this week, finished at 16-over after rounds of 75, 68, 81 and 72.
