Mt. Lebanon's Neal Shipley earns PGA Tour card, learns news on Pat McAfee Show

When Neal Shipley was invited on the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, he was excited to be on the show.

The Mt. Lebanon native did not know something big was planned.

McAfee, a Plum native, gave Shipley some exciting news: “You’ve officially locked up your PGA Tour card. You’re #TOURBound, sir.”

Shipley knew he was close to earning the card, especially with five consecutive Top 10 finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour, but he didn’t know it was official.

“I was definitely surprised when McAfee made the announcement,” Shipley said. “To have it announced on ESPN was special.”

CONGRATULATIONS NEAL SHIPLEY

YOU ARE OFFICIALLY #TOURBound#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/sln4bKMfDa

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 13, 2025

Shipley is third in the Korn Ferry points standings with 1,608 points and has secured a spot among the Top 30 who earn PGA Tour cards.

He made a name for himself when he was low amateur at both the 2024 Masters and 2024 U.S. Open.

The 24-year-old is a two-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour this season and was a Top 10 finisher seven times and Top 5 finisher four times. He has made 11 of 19 cuts.

The wins came at The Ascendant presented by Blue in July and LECOM Suncoast Classic in April.

Shipley’s PGA Tour career officially will begin Jan. 12, 2026 when he competes in the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.

“I have never been to Hawaii yet,” Shipley said. “I am looking forward to it. I will go over early.”

Now he is focused on winning the points standings on the Korn Ferry Tour. He has four events to catch or pass leaders Johnny Keefer and Austin Smotherman.

He is currently ranked No. 85 in the Official World Golf Rankings as he prepares for the Albertsons Boise Open beginning on Thursday.

“The pressure is off,” Shipley said. “I will play out the season and try to win the points race. I can play free and easy.”

Shipley knowing the courses on the Korn Ferry Tour and hiring an experienced caddie was huge for his success.

“People on the Korn Ferry Tour say we are the second toughest tour in the world,” Shipley said. “There are a lot of great golfers on the tour, and it is tough to earn points. I made a 60-foot putt in one tournament and earned 50 extra points.”

Turowski plays at US Amateur

Harrison City native and 2025 Penn-Trafford graduate Nick Turowski competed in the US Amateur Championship at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.

Turowski shot a 3-over 73 during the first round of stroke play Monday but struggled with an 11-over 81 in the second round Tuesday.

The West Virginia sophomore finished at 14-over.

Sheehan wins Pa. Open

Patrick Sheehan shot a 5-under par 66 during the final round to win the 109th Pennsylvania Open on Wednesday at Llanerch Country Club in Havertown.

Sheehan finished at 10-under 200, two shots better than Rolling Greens Golf Club’s Anthony Sebastianelli and three better than Aronimink Golf Club’s Riley Wheeldon and Valley Brook’s (Peters Township) Jake Sollon, the 2024 and 2022 winner.

Allegheny Country Club’s J.F. Aber tied for sixth at 4-under and Sewickley Height’s Mike Van Sickle tied for eighth at 2-under. Van Sickle won consecutive titles in 2007-2008 and was a runner-up in 2017, 2014 and 2012.

Willowbrook Country Club’s Chuck Tragesser (Franklin Regional) tied for 13th at 1-over, Beau Titsworth was tied for 16th at 2-over and first-round leader Dan Obremski (Penn-Trafford) tied for 21st at 3-over.

DeNunzios win Tommy Smith

Talk about being hot as the current weather. The DeNunzio twins – Ronald and David – won their second event of the season, this time the 76th annual Tommy Smith Invitational at Greensburg Country Club.

Last month they won the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association Brothers Tournament.

Ronald DeNunzio was in the news earlier this month when he was struck in the head by an errant shot during the Westmoreland County Golf Association Amateur Championship.

The DeNunzios defeated Dan Maier and Ryan Prokay. The other flight results were:

First: Nick Finoli and Tyler Rivers d. Sean Sapotichne and Matt Montgomery

Second: Bob Huey and Rob J. Klingensmith d. David and Parker Lucas

Third: Rich Finoli and Eric Munko d. Domenic Brusco and Jim Fucci

Fourth: Jim Pointer and Joe Lutz d. Logan Bannon and Mike Havrilla

Fifth: Matt Noel and John Christy d. Jeremy Frisko and Nelson Mayer II

Sixth: Ed and Aldo Narcisi d. Mike Painter and Dom Neri

Seventh: Paul Bingham and Barry Zulisky d. Mario and Dante Luther