When Neal Shipley’s week began, his goal for the PGA Tour FedEx Cup Fall the slate was clear: put the pedal down if you wanted to keep your card and playing privileges in 2027.
Shipley, 25, became a sensation when she won amateur honors at the 2024 Masters and starred in an episode of the Netflix docuseries. Full Swing. From that week to Augusta, which included a final pairing with Tiger WoodsShipley played his way to the PGA Tour. Last year, he won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour to finish fourth in the standings and punch his ticket to the big time in pro golf. But his rookie season was far from what he imagined. He missed 9 of his first 10 cuts and made just 8 of 20 cuts overall. He didn’t record a top-25 finish on the season and entered this week’s Biltmore Championship in Asheville, N.C. — the first tournament of the FedEx Cup Fall season — sitting at 183 in the FedEx Cup standings.
Needing to finish in the top 100 to keep his card, Shipley faced a steep climb to stay on the PGA Tour in 2027. The math was clear: He needed to post several high finishes or wins between now and the RSM Classic in mid-November. Otherwise, it will be returned to the Korn Ferry Tour.
Given how he had played all season, the chances of Shipley doing either seemed slim. But in golf, everything can change in a round or a week.
After three stellar rounds, including a sizzling 62 Friday at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, Shipley will enter Sunday’s final round with a one-under lead, just 18 holes away from his first career PGA Tour victory — one that would have vaulted him to 74th in the FedEx Cup standings and, more importantly, given him a two-over exemption on the PGA Tour.
“It would be huge,” Shipley said Saturday about the potential to cross the line Sunday. “It’s going to take a lot of stress off my back, that’s for sure. It’s one of those things that I’ve been playing really well, and I know it’s a matter of time for me, so I’ll give it my best tomorrow and put everything out there and see what happens.
“The (2026) season wasn’t really what we wanted,” Shipley said Friday of his rookie season. “I’m kind of stuck to get my game back where it should be. I feel like a lot of that work is finally shown. It’s strange. Golf is one of those sports where you don’t have immediate gratification. You have to work for a long time to see results. I feel like I see some kind of fruits of that work, and really pumped in my amateur experience. career that prepared me to be in this situation, so this really excited for “.
But Shipley won’t be the only player stepping up to the ball Sunday in Asheville trying to secure a career-changing victory. It’s another dream week unfolding in North Carolina.
Playing alongside Shipley on Sunday will be 36-year-old Ben Kohles, who shot 65-63-65 in the first three rounds at the Biltmore to stay within one shot of Shipley. Kohles notched his first win on the PGA Tour in years. Two years ago in the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, Kohles came to the 72nd hole, a par 5, with a one-shot lead. He made the only bogey of the day on that hole and handed the title to Taylor Pendrith. With the fresh wound, Kohles promised to learn from a failure in the cauldron and use it as a road map for the winner’s circle.
“I did a lot of good things this week, and I have to keep reminding myself and try to get back into this position,” Kohles said that day at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
His next big moment came in July at the John Deere Classic, where he regained the lead on the 72nd hole. But the story was the same in the Quad Cities as Kohles found water with a poorly executed three-quarter punch in 18, and Chris Gotterup left with a title. But once again, Ben Kohles promised to fix it.
“This was my third final Sunday on the PGA Tour,” Kohles said. “Honestly, this was the best I felt outside of the first two. I felt good in Dallas a couple of years ago, too. You just have to keep building from it and use it to go forward.”
Kohles entered this week in North Carolina just inside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings at 96, and at 17 in the Korn Ferry Tour standings (top 20 secures a PGA Tour card for 2027). The rookie is fighting for his PGA Tour future on two separate tours, but he can make it all moot by making sure his dream final week doesn’t turn into another nightmare Sunday in Asheville.
“It would mean a lot,” Kohles said Saturday about the possibility of leaving Asheville victorious. “Like I said, we all want to win every week we have it, and it’s really hard to do. I know that if I stay committed to my process and commit to every shot, I’ll be happy with the results, no matter what they are.”
Shipley and Kohles will enter Sunday with some distance between them and the rest of the field. Shipley sits at 21 under, and Kohles is one shot back. Eric Cole and Ricky Castillo are the next closest competitors at 17, but with a soft setting that yields low scores, neither Kohles nor Shipley can afford to stumble if they want to finally reach a dream destination on Sunday and become a PGA Tour champion.
“Just keep doing what I’m doing,” Shipley said of his approach to Sunday. “Keep being me and keep having fun out there. Keep that mindset of going out there, chasing birds, and trying to get as low as possible tomorrow.”
“Attack,” Kohles said, “Keep the pedal.”
Whoever does better on Sunday, their dreams will finally come true in North Carolina. For the other, only the heart of hearts waits.
