CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. — Nick Dunlap and Neal Shipley have been the two best amateur golfers this summer.
Dunlap finished second in the Elite Amateur Series standings with two wins at the Northeast Amateur and the North & South Amateur. Shipley finished fourth, with two runner-up finishes and a T-3 in the Elite Amateur Series. He also had another runner-up at the Dogwood Invitational.
That’s why it’s no surprise they’re the final two golfers standing in the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club.
The duo each locked up 2024 Masters and 2024 U.S. Open invites next summer, but the first thing on their minds heading to Sunday will be hoisting the Havemeyer Trophy in the Mile High City.
U.S. Amateur: Photos from Cherry Hills
Here’s what you need to know from the semifinals of the 2023 U.S. Amateur.
Nick Dunlap match-play dominance continues
Nick Dunlap may be the best amateur in the world right now, even if his ranking doesn’t show it.
He did beat Gordon Sargent, who’s ranked No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, in the Round of 64. Dunlap is ninth, but his play resembles more of someone who’s the best of the best.
Dunlap, a 19-year-old rising sophomore from Alabama, beat fellow sophomore Parker Bell 3 and 2 on Saturday, overcoming some early putting woes and taking over near the turn. Dunlap won the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur, and if he were to win Sunday, would be only the second male amateur to win a U.S. Junior and U.S. Amateur.
The other? Tiger Woods.
“I was pretty determined today,” Dunlap said. “I was like, I’m only out here for four hours, let’s give it all I’ve got for four hours.”
Stepping on the eighth tee, Dunlap found himself 1 down, but he threw his shot on the par 3 tight. After missing a par putt on the fifth hole to halve, it seemed as if Dunlap’s quarterfinal putting woes carried over to Saturday’s semifinal match.
However, his fortunes turned on the eighth. He drilled the birdie putt, stepping it in. He seemingly didn’t miss the rest of the day.
“It was nice to see one go in,” Dunlap said. “I felt the momentum switch a little bit. I was able to kind of put some heat on him.”
Dating to the AJGA’s Polo Golf Junior Classic in July 2021, Dunlap is now 29-2 in match play, including 6-0 at the U.S. Junior, 5-0 at the North & South Amateur earlier this summer and now 5-0 this week at Cherry Hills.
Dunlap took the lead for good on the par-4 ninth, making par while Bell’s par attempt slid past the hole. He rolled in a long birdie putt on the par-3 12th to take a 2-up lead. Then on the par-3 15th, another par led to him being 3 up with three to play.
Every putt Dunlap needed to make to stay ahead Saturday afternoon, he did. Now, he’s on the verge of history.
“I’m a fighter. I don’t give up,” Dunlap said. “No matter what the situation is, no matter what’s thrown at me, I see it as a challenge. I just love the moment, to be honest with you.
“I love when your hands are shaking. That’s what I practice for. It’s why I get up early, get up at five and workout and hit balls at 10 o’clock at night. I’m doing this for this moment. Just to kind of lean back on that. All I can do is now and go out and have fun. Enjoy the moment, take in the atmosphere that everybody brings here. It’s really cool and special to be a part of.”
Fan-favorite Neal Shipley marches on
Maybe it’s the hair. Maybe it’s his emphatic fist pumps and high fives with the crowd. Maybe it’s his relatable personality.
There’s no question who the fan favorite has been all week, it’s Neal Shipley. And now, he has a chance to etch his name in the history books come Sunday.
Shipley was 3 down with eight holes to play Saturday against Auburn rising senior John Marshall Butler but won five of the next seven holes to win, 2 and 1. The exclamation point was on the par-5 17th, when Shipley’s third shot landed past the hole before grabbing and ripping back to within a foot of the cup.
The crowds went nuts, so did the 22-year-old Shipley. He high-fived members of the gallery and took in the raucous atmosphere down the stretch at Cherry Hills.
“You know, 3 down after 10, I wasn’t mentally defeated, but I knew I was going to have to do something pretty special,” Shipley said. “I did just that.”
Shipley, a graduate student at Ohio State, ripped a 5-iron from a fairway bunker on the par-5 11th, coming up just short. Butler was in the right rough, but Shipley was able to get up and down for birdie, getting one shot back.
Butler’s tee shot went into the water on the par-3 12th, so then Shipley was one back after consecutive wins. Then he had a good save for par on 13 to keep his momentum going.
He tied it up with a par on the par-3 15th. Then after Butler found trouble off the tee on 16, Shipley was able to go 1 up. Then he stuffed it on 17.
THE SHOT! THE SPIN! THE SHIP! 🛳️@OhioStateMGOLF's Neal Shipley has punched his ticket to the #USAmateur championship match! pic.twitter.com/O9rX9VHn5X
— USGA (@USGA) August 19, 2023
“That shot on 17 was so cool,” Shipley said. “That scene was just something I’m going to cherish for a long time.
“After the shot, it was just raw emotion. I was just so excited.”
Shipley admits he had to calm down after scooping his conceded birdie because Butler had a chip shot from the left fringe to tie the hole. He knew he needed to be locked in in case the match went to the 18th.
Butler missed, and the celebration continued.
“It seems like the crowd likes me, I guess, this week,” Shipley said. “Trying to use that good energy when you hit golf shots, get pumped up. Just keep the good vibes going. I think that’s super, super, super important.”
Sunday schedule
All times listed are ET
No. 41 Nick Dunlapvs. No 47 Neal Shipley, 10 a.m. ET (first 18 holes)
The afternoon 18 will begin after a lunch break.
TV, streaming information
All times listed are ET
Sunday, August 20 (Championship match)
3-4 p.m., Golf Channel
4-6 p.m., NBC
