Ohio State Buckeyes' Golfer Neal Shipley Throws Out First Pitch in Detroit

The Ohio State Buckeye is doing major things.

Jun 16, 2024; Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA; Neal Shipley hits from the second tee box during the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Sports / Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Sports

One Buckeye is taking off.

Ohio State graduate golfer Neal Shipley will be making his professional debut Thursday at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.

Prior to that, Shipley had the opportunity to throw at the first pitch at the Tigers vs. Phillies MLB game Monday night.

Just two weeks ago, Shipley earned low am honors at the U.S. Open, finishing T-26th along with the likes of former tournament champion Brooks Koepka.

Sunday, he finished T-9th at the Beachlands Victoria Open in British Columbia, Canada.

Apr 14, 2024; Augusta, Georgia, USA; 2024 Masters champion Scottie Scheffler congratulates low amateur Neal Shipley during the green jacket ceremony following the final round of the Masters Tournament. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Network / Rob Schumacher, Rob Schumacher / USA

However, Shipley's name really came to the public eye when he qualified for The Masters in April and proceeded to finish T-53rd after hitting 12-over par. This finish led him to win the Augusta National Silver Cup, which has been awarded to the top low amateur at The Masters since 1952.

In fact, Shipley, though just making the cut, finished ahead of the likes of several former Masters' champions, including Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, and Sergio Garcia.

“Playing with Tiger, Sunday at the Masters, the whole week, I think I have to win one of these things to kind of top this week,” Shipley said after his final round on April 11.

“He's such a normal guy and really cool,” Shipley said of Woods. “He was great to me all day. Couldn't be more appreciative of him just being awesome today, and it was just really cool to be around him and just the attention he gets and the roars. The crowds were phenomenal.”

Shipley now embarks on the biggest phase of his journey — into professional golf.