Shipley surges in final round at Llanerch to take Pennsylvania Amateur crown by two shots

    Ohio State knew it was getting a pretty good player when Pittsburgh Central Catholic product Neal Shipley transferred from William & Mary to Columbus, Ohio. What Ohio State did not know was that it was getting a Pennsylvania Amateur champion.

   Shipley surged to the lead with a sizzling front-nine 30 in Wednesday’s final round of the 109^th Pennsylvania Amateur, presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, at Llanerch Country Club on West Chester Pike in Havertown, then held on for a two-shot victory.

   Shipley, playing out of St. Clair Country Club, was coming off a victory in the West Penn Open at The Club at Nevillewood and I’m guessing that a West Penn Open/Pennsylvania Amateur double isn’t one that is accomplished often.

   “It’s awesome to win this,” Shipley told the Pennsylvania Golf Association (PAGA) website. “I’ve worked so hard this summer and the state Am is always circled on the calendar. I played pretty well all week and grinded my way through.”

   Shipley, a member of Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s 2018 PIAA Class AAA championship team, was one shot out of the lead following an opening round of 2-under 68, but fell back into a tie for sixth place following a 3-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round.

   But Shipley came out of the gate firing in Wednesday’s final round with birdies at the first, third, fourth, sixth and eighth holes, his 5-under front nine getting him to 4-under for the championship.

   He cooled off a little with bogeys at the 12^th and 17^th holes, but it still added up to a 3-under 67 that gave Shipley a 2-under 208 total.

   While the 18^th at Llanerch, an enticingly driveable par-4 of just 298 yards, didn’t quite bring the drama that the finishing hole at Merion Golf Club’s historic East Course did a year ago in the final round of the Pennsylvania Amateur, the finisher at the Alexander Findlay design certainly figured in the outcome.

   Rij Patel of the Country Club of York, one of the co-leaders heading into the final round, made a birdie at the 15^th hole while Shipley was making a bogey at 17 and the two-shot swing left them tied for the lead at 2-under.

   After trying to drive the green in the first two rounds, Shipley opted for a 2-iron off the tee at the 18^th hole. He blocked it right and the ball barely stayed inside the out-of-bounds stakes. Shipley was able to get his approach on the putting surface and two-putted for a par that got him in the house at 2-under.

   When Patel arrived at the 18^th tee, he pulled out the driver and promptly sailed it to the right, his ball finishing just outside the out-of-bounds stakes. It led to a double bogey and a final round of 3-under 73 that left Patel in a tie for second place with Oakmont Country Club’s Nathan Platt at even-par 210.

   Platt, who was the other co-leader along with Patel heading into the final round, also recorded a 3-over 73 to get a share of runnerup honors.

   Despite the disappointing finish, it was two pretty good weeks for Patel, a former Harvard standout. Patel finished in a tie for second place in last week’s Philadelphia Open at Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon Course and again ended up in a tie for second in the Pennsylvania Amateur at Llanerch.

   Carlisle Country Club’s John Peters couldn’t quite conjure up the magic he did a year ago when he holed out from 193 yards for an eagle on Merion’s classic finishing hole to win the Pennsylvania Amateur in dramatic fashion.

   But the Duke sophomore moved up the leaderboard with a 2-under 68 in the final round to share fourth place with Amani D’Ambrosio of Wildwood Golf Club at 1-over 211. Dambrosio, a junior at Division II power Barry University and a member of Fox Chapel’s 2019 PIAA Class AAA championship team, matched par in the final round with a 70.

   Austin Barbin, a Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association entry, closed with a 3-over 73 to finish alone in sixth place with a 2-over 212 total. Barbin capped his junior season at Liberty by playing in two rounds for the Flames in the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

   Talamore Country Club’s Pat Sheehan, a senior at Penn State, was victimized by Peters’ hole-out for eagle at Merion a year ago as he finished in a tie for second place. Sheehan closed with a solid 1-under 69 at Llanerch to head a group of four players tied for seventh place at 3-over 213.

   Sheehan, the District One Class AAA champion as a senior at Central Bucks East in 2018, earned a second straight trip to the U.S. Amateur by sharing medalist honors in a Golf Association of Philadelphia-administered qualifier last week at Chambersburg Country Club.

   Oakmont Country Club’s Aiden Oehrle, a sophomore on the Lehigh golf team and a teammate of D’Ambrosio’s on Fox Chapel’s state championship team in 2019, closed with a solid 2-under 68 to join the foursome at 3-over.

   It was a nice showing at Llanerch for Aronimink Golf Club’s Max Siegfried, a former Haverford School standout who played college golf at Virginia, as he finished up with a 1-under 69 to end up in the tie for seventh place.

   Rounding out the quartet at 3-over was Nemacolin Golf Club’s Brett Young, who signed for a 3-over 73 in the final round.

   White Manor Country Club’s Tyler Stahle and PAGA individual member Jake Griffin landed in a tie for 11^th place, each ending up with a 4-over 214 total.

   Stahle carded his second straight 2-over 72 in the final round while Griffin, a sophomore at Penn State, closed with a 4-over 74.