U.S. Open: Luke Clanton, Neal Shipley battling for low amateur honors
Luke Clanton (USGA Photo)
Luke Clanton and Neal Shipley are 4-over and will battle for low amateur honors at the U.S. Open's final round.
Clanton had one of the best rounds of the day, shooting 1-under 69 to move up to T4 and T32 in the championship.
Shipley was 3-under through the first ten holes of the U.S. Open and propelled up to T16 on the leaderboard, but he shot 4-over on his last eight holes to fall back to 1-over on the day. Shipley was the first golfer to drive the par-4 No. 3 that is playing 316 yards today, almost 70 yards shorter than rounds one and two.
He recorded five birdies, including three straight from Holes No. 8-10.
Shipley is looking to become the first golfer to win low amateur at the U.S. Open and the Masters since Viktor Hovland in 2019.
Gunnar Broin is the third amateur to make the cut. He shot a third-round 11-under 81 to fall to 14-over.
Shipley and Clanton are paired together for the final round and will tee off at 12:04 E.T.
First two rounds recap
The 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 has caused headaches for many of the field thus far, and the 16 amateurs are a prime example of exactly how hard the course is playing this week.
Of the 16, only three golfers made the cut. Neal Shipley, Gunnar Broin, and Luke Clanton all finished above the 5-over cutline to play the weekend in North Carolina. It is the first made cut for Broin and Clanton, while Shipley made the cut and won low amateur honors at the 2024 Masters Tournament.
Shipley and Broin are 3-over and T37, and Clanton is 5-over and T57. Broin had one of the best scores of the second round, posting a 2-under 68 to propel up the leaderboard.
Clanton is currently ranked No. 2 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings.
A lot of the amateurs were hovering around the cutline all day, with Ben James, Jackson Buchanan, and Bryan Kim missing the cut by one shot, and Omar Morales and Parker Bell missed the cut by two shots.
Luke Clanton will tee off at 9:39 a.m. ET with Brendon Todd, Neal Shipley will tee off at 11:01 a.m. ET with Aaron Rai and Gunnar Broin will tee off at 11:34 a.m. ET with Brian Campbell.
Amateurs to miss the cut:
Jackson Buchanan - 6-over
Ben James - 6-over
Bryan Kim - 6-over
Omar Morales - 7-over
Parker Bell - 7-over
Hiroshi Tai - 9-over
Ashton McCulloch - 10-over
Brendan Valdes - 11-over
Gordon Sargent - 11-over
Wells Williams - 11-over
Santiago De La Fuente - 13-over
Stewart Hagestad - 14-over
Colin Prater - 17-over
ABOUT THE
U.S. Open Golf Championship
The U.S. Open is the biggest of the 15 national
championships conducted by the USGA.
Open
to amateurs and professionals. Amateurs gain
entry via USGA win or runner-up finishes while having the opportunity
to qualify alongside non-exempt professionals in an 18-hole "Local' qualifying followed
by 36-hole "Final" qualifying which is affectionately known as golf's longest day.
Highly-ranked amateurs will be exempted past the 18-hole Local Qualifying. See the
USGA website for details. And if you are exempt on any level be sure to apply by the deadline anyway.
The USGA intends to make the U.S. Open
the
most rigorous, yet fair, examination of golf
skills, testing all forms of shot-making. The
USGA prepares the course after careful
consideration of 14 different factors.
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