Does Neal Shipley’s TGL hole-in-one count? His Bay teammates deliver their verdict
Cliff Hawkins/TGL
Golf fans witnessed history on Monday night when rookie Neal Shipley, playing in his first-ever match for The Bay, made the first hole-in-one in TGL history. On the tee at 110-yard par-3 5th hole, “Set in Stone,” the Ohio State kid pulled out his sand wedge, launched it 10 yards past the flagstick and reeled it back as the crowd, and his teammates, went wild.
As we all know, however, not all aces are created equal. In fact, according to some curmudgeons, not all aces are even really aces. Chief among those borderline candidates are simulator aces, which golfers are still unsure how to adjudicate. After Monday night's match, Shipley and his Bay teammates Min Woo Lee and Luke Clanton we’re asked if the ace counted as “a career hole-in-one?” The verdict, though slightly biased, was unanimous.
Really, the only mark against Shipley’s TGL first is that it happened on a screen. Otherwise it ticks all the boxes. Witnessed live by others? Check. Not on a par-3 course or second shot? Check and check. Great celebration with the fellas? Absolutely check. The only lingering question is whether Shipley had to buy everyone a round afterward per proper hole-in-one etiquette. The whole clubhouse is one thing, but the whole SoFi Center? That’s A LOT of beer ... even for a guy like Ship.