Neal Shipley within 4 stokes of lead after 2 rounds of his 1st PGA Tour event

Mt. Lebanon’s Neal Shipley turned in a second straight big-time round in his first tournament on the PGA Tour, moving within four strokes of the lead at the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Friday in Detroit.

Shipley made one bogey and five birdies to shoot a 4-under-par 68. He’s at 9-under for the tournament, four strokes behind leaders Akshay Bhatia and Aaron Rai.

Shipley’s bogey on the par-4 second hole was his last of the day — it was all birdies and pars from there. He made birdie on all four of Detroit Golf Club’s par-5s and stuck his tee shot within 7 feet on the 219-yard par-3 11th to make another birdie.

“Just getting settled in and playing really good golf,” the Central Catholic graduate told the Detroit News, “and good golf travels, no matter if you’re an amateur or a professional.”

Shipley made five straight birdies on the back nine to shoot a 5-under 67 in the first round Thursday. After earning low amateur honors at The Masters and U.S. Open, he tied for ninth in a PGA Tour Americas event last week in his pro debut.

“With my experience with the majors, I don’t feel like there’s a big learning curve for me,” Shipley said. “Pretty fortunate to have had two great experiences at Augusta and then at Pinehurst, kind of been in the mix at both at certain times throughout the week, so I feel really comfortable. I had a great week last week as a professional, as well.”