Neal Shipley Takes Biltmore Lead With PGA Tour Career-Low 62

• Neal Shipley shot a career-low 62 to take the 36-hole Biltmore Championship lead at 15-under.
• Shipley is the only player in the field without a bogey through two rounds.
• Jacob Bridgeman carded a 67 to reach 9-under ahead of next week’s Presidents Cup.

Neal Shipley produced a career-low 9-under 62 to take his first PGA Tour lead after two rounds of the Biltmore Championship Asheville.

The 25-year-old followed his opening 65 with a rapid start at The Cliff at Walnut Grove, making birdies at the first two holes before an eagle at the third. He completed 36 holes in 127 and reached 15-under without dropping a shot.

Shipley’s previous lowest score on Tour was 65, recorded during the second round of the 2024 ISCO Championship and matched on Thursday in Asheville. His previous best 36-hole total was 132 at the same event.

The round gave the PGA Tour rookie his first lead or co-lead after any round in his 33rd start. Before this week, his best halfway position was a tie for 10th at the 2024 Rocket Classic, where he finished tied 20th.

Putting drives Shipley’s move

Shipley leads the field in Strokes Gained: Putting at 6.844 and has converted all 11 of his scrambling opportunities. He also ranks fourth in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee at 2.674.

That combination has helped him avoid the bogeys that have limited much of the field on the rain-softened course. Shipley had recorded only five bogey-free cards across his previous 99 PGA Tour rounds before completing two in succession this week.

Following heavy rainfall and high temperatures in Western North Carolina, preferred lies will apply throughout the four rounds because the final stages of tournament preparation produced challenging agronomic conditions.

Shipley entered the FedExCup Fall at No. 183 after making eight cuts in 20 starts this season. His best result was a tie for 38th at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, leaving him well outside the top-100 who will retain full PGA Tour status for 2027.

The former James Madison and Ohio State player earned his first Tour card by finishing fourth on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List. He turned professional in 2024 and recorded his best PGA Tour finish that year, tying for sixth at the ISCO Championship while competing on a sponsor exemption.

Bridgeman leads Presidents Cup contingent

Jacob Bridgeman shot 67 to move to 9-under, six strokes behind Shipley. He posted the best 36-hole score among the seven players in Asheville who will compete in next week’s Presidents Cup at Medinah.

Bridgeman, one of United States captain Brandt Snedeker’s six selections, will make his debut in the team event. The 26-year-old won his first PGA Tour title at The Genesis Invitational in February and led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting during the season.

Nick Taylor was the only one of the five International Presidents Cup players in the field to make the cut.

Ben Kohles was also among those pursuing Shipley after putting himself in contention again.

“I keep putting myself in these positions. That’s all I can ask for,” Kohles said. “We work so hard to get in these spots, so I feel like I’ve learned a lot the last few months. … I know I can do it, it’s just a matter of going out and doing it. So we’ll see what the weekend has in store.”

Shipley enters that weekend seeking his first PGA Tour victory and carrying a bogey-free streak of 36 holes.

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