Biltmore Championship Asheville Round 2: Neal Shipley Fires a Career-Low 62 to Lead

Neal Shipley showed up in Asheville as the 183rd-ranked player in the FedExCup standings, a rookie running out of runway. By Friday evening he was the name on top of the board, and he got there with the kind of start that makes everyone else check the scoreboard twice.

Shipley fired a bogey-free 9-under 62 at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, the lowest round of his PGA TOUR career, to reach 15-under 127 and take a one-shot lead over Ben Kohles at the Biltmore Championship Asheville. Kohles shot 63 to get to 14 under. Max Greyserman (67) and Ricky Castillo (62) are tied for third at 11 under, Eric Cole is at 10 under after a 68, and Presidents Cup pick Jacob Bridgeman is among a group six back at 9 under.

Birdie, Birdie, Eagle

The tone was set in the first three holes. Shipley birdied his first two holes, then hit his second shot on the par-5 third to 10 feet and poured in the eagle putt. Three holes, 4 under. He kept going with birdies at the seventh and eighth to turn in 29.

The back nine was quieter but no less tidy. He added birdies at the 12th, 15th and 17th, the last of them an up-and-down from 22 feet, and never dropped a shot. Per Golf Channel, he needed only 14 one-putts and led the field in putting for the day. The AP noted he was already 9 under on the par 5s through 36 holes, which is exactly how you go low on a soft course that hands out reachable par 5s.

A Rookie With Nothing to Lose

The context makes the 62 even louder. Shipley, 25, grew up in Pittsburgh and earned his card through the Korn Ferry Tour. His rookie season has been rough: 11 missed cuts in 19 starts coming into the week. This is the first of eight FedExCup Fall events that decide the top 100 who keep full cards for 2027, and Shipley was nowhere close to that line. Without a turnaround, he was headed back to the Korn Ferry Tour.

He credited a childhood spent on hilly ground for helping him handle the uneven lies around this mountain layout, and he talked about finally seeing a payoff for the grind.

"Golf is one of those sports where you don't get instant gratification," Shipley said, per the AP.

This is his first 36-hole lead on TOUR. A win would bring a two-year exemption and a spot in the Championship Series in 2028, when the TOUR overhauls its schedule. That is a life-changing prize for a player who started the week just hoping to save his season.

Kohles Keeps Knocking

Kohles has spent a lot of time near the top of leaderboards without a trophy to show for it. There was the ball in the water on the 18th hole at the John Deere Classic, and there was a one-shot loss at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson two years ago. Friday looked like a player determined to make this one different.

The signature moment came at the par-5 17th. Kohles ripped a 343-yard drive, reached the green with a 9-iron and rolled in a 20-footer for eagle. A 15-foot birdie at the last capped a 63. Raised in Cary, a few hours away, Kohles is effectively playing a home game.

"I keep putting myself in these positions. That's all I can ask for," Kohles said.

Castillo Matches the Low Round

Castillo matched Shipley's 62 for the best score of the day, a jump from an opening 69 into a share of third. Greyserman, Thursday's co-leader, followed his 64 with a steady 67 to stay in that group. Cole, the other first-round leader, could not keep pace with the scoring and slipped five back.

Bridgeman's day was a reminder that even a soft course can bite. He reached 10 under through 27 holes and looked ready to join the leaders, then hit a rough patch on the front nine. He bogeyed the 246-yard second and the fifth, then made a double bogey at the 194-yard seventh after finding the right greenside bunker. Three birdies on that nine salvaged a 67 and kept him within six.

The Cut and the Casualties

The cut fell at 3-under 139. Tony Finau had the roughest week of the notable names at 7 over, and Kevin Kisner, Davis Thompson, Denny McCarthy, Emiliano Grillo and Taylor Pendrith also went home. Tom Hoge and Beau Hossler were among those who missed by a single shot.

It was a rough two days for the Presidents Cup Internationals in the field, too. Nick Taylor was the only one of the five to make the weekend. On the U.S. side, rookie Jackson Koivun shot 67 to get to 6 under, and local favorite Webb Simpson posted a 66 to play the weekend comfortably.

Weekend Outlook

With storms in the forecast, the TOUR moved Saturday's tee times up and will send players off in threesomes from both tees. That means Shipley and Kohles will share the final group and stare at each other's numbers all afternoon.

Shipley has been perfect for 36 holes: no bogeys, a career low and a game that looks completely relaxed. Kohles has the local crowd and the scar tissue that comes from near misses. Behind them, Castillo and Greyserman sit four back with a whole weekend to make noise. Saturday will show whether a rookie on a heater can do it twice.

Catch up on Thursday in our Round 1 recap. Full details are in the PGA TOUR's Round 2 recap (opens in a new tab).

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 2 recap, AP), Golf Channel, Heavy, The Golf News Net (leaderboard). More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.