Neal Shipley records under-par round in Masters debut
AUGUSTA, Ga. (KDKA) -- Neal Shipley made the most of his debut at the 88th playing of the Masters tournament, finishing his opening round of play with a score under par.
Shipley teed off around 2 p.m. on Thursday in the opening round that was pushed back due to weather and finished with a 1-under par round of 71.
The Mt. Lebanon native and Central Catholic graduate registered three birdies and two bogeys on the day, with the two blemishes coming on the 5th and 15th holes.
Shipley's 1-under score currently has him sitting tied for 17th place, two above the potential cut line as things stand. He led all five of the amateur players in the field with his score.
Several players still need to finish their first round of play, which was suspended due to darkness on Thursday evening.
Shipley will tee off for the start of his second round just before 8:30 this morning.
A longtime friend on the bag
For Neal Shipley, he's got a good partner caddying for him at the Masters.
Fellow college golfer Carter Pitcairn has been friends with Shipley dating back to the duo's days in junior golf in Mt. Lebanon.
"Carter is wonderful and they have been friends, really since junior golf back in Pittsburgh, before high school actually," Neal's mom Susie said.
Shipley attended James Madison University and Ohio State University and earned his entry into the Masters by finishing second in the U.S. Amateur Championship last year.
Regardless of how things go the rest of the way for Shipley at the Masters, his U.S. Amateur performance last year has also earned him an exemption into the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in June, provided that Shipley doesn't turn pro before then.
